Death and Company: Book I
by Ceiphied Knight
Summary: When Launchpad turns in his resignation to Scrooge McDuck, it sets into motion a series of events for his young replacement that follow her from Duckburg to St. Canard and beyond. Contains adult situations, language & violence. RE-WRITE IN PROGRESS!
1. You Are Not Alone

**DEATH AND COMPANY: BOOK ONE**

* * *

_February 2, 2012. Groundhog Day re-write, GO!_

* * *

"I'm sorry to lose you, Launchpad. Aside from being me pilot, you're a good friend." Scrooge McDuck leaned back in the chair behind his large mahogany desk and surveyed the mood of one Launchpad McQuack, who had just turned in his two weeks' notice.

"I know, Mr. McD. I'm going to miss you and the boys and, well, everyone. But this is something I have to do. I've always wanted to run my own shop, and I'll get to use two big hangars."

"Aye, I guess that's temptation enough," the old Scottish duck forced a smile. It was all he could do to keep from trampling Launchpad's dream, but Scrooge knew the pilot didn't have the business sense it took to run a shop. He bit his tongue, though, because the last thing he wanted to do was upset his friend.

Besides, it would be better for him to find out on his own. Everyone should be allowed to make their own mistakes.

"One condition, Launchpad," Scrooge said as the pilot got up to leave.

"What's that, Mr. McD?"

"You have to help me find a replacement pilot."

* * *

Corrine QuackIntyre looked at the crumbled newspaper clipping in her hands for the hundredth time and walked nervously into the waiting room of McDuck Enterprises.

The room was filled to the brim with what appeared to be very reputable and experienced pilots. Corrine sighed and flopped down in a vacant chair.

She was only 25, but had had her pilots' license since she was 17. They had called her a prodigy, which was odd considering she came from a family of mail carriers and firefighters. Still, Corrine had never been much for self esteem, so she was convinced she was wasting her time.

A job flying Scrooge McDuck and his family around on their adventures sounded too good to be true, but Corrine's mother had shoved her into a snappy skirt suit and practically pushed her out the door. She had said, "It's an open interview, the worst that could happen is you don't get it!"

Corrine couldn't really argue with logic like that.

"Send in the next candidate, Mrs. Featherby."

Corrine's head snapped up at the sound of the blunt accented voice over the receptionist's intercom.

The middle aged duck with her gray hair pulled up in a severe bun checked the sign-in list and announced, "Corrine QuackIntyre!"

Corrine stood up on shaky legs and made her way to the door to McDuck's office. She absently swiped her long straight black hair over her shoulder and then turned the knob.

Before her was a palatial office, an old duck wearing spectacles and a tall duck with a tuft of ginger hair sticking out from under a brown flight cap.

"Come in, come in," the old duck, presumably Scrooge, said with some impatience.

Corrine quickly entered and closed the door behind her.

"Now, Ms. QuackIntyre, your resume is quite impressive for your age, with your training and whatnot, but I'm concerned about your lack of practical experience."

Corrine cleared her throat and was very proud of herself when her voice didn't crack, "Actually, Mr. McDuck, that's kind of why I'm here. Let's be honest, there isn't a whole lot of experience to be had in Duckburg when it comes to flying. I could be an airline pilot or a sky writer or something, I guess. But what I really want to do is see the world!"

Scrooge gave her a kind smile and opened his bill to speak, but was interrupted as something large, metal and duck-shaped crashed through the wall of his office.

"Gizmoduck, what's going on?" Scrooge bellowed.

"Mr. McDuck!" The breathless robotic hero seemed on the verge of hysterics. "You have to come quickly, there's been an explosion down at your candy factory that I swear I had nothing to do with!"

McDuck rolled his eyes but shot up out of his chair, grabbing a cane and top hat from a hook by his desk.

"Let's get down there straight away. Ms. QuackIntyre, what are your salary requirements?"

"Well," Corrine said after a moment of shock, "I am really in it for the experience so I would work for very cheap…"

Scrooge turned his back to her but yelled over his shoulder, "you're hired!"

And then the three were gone, leaving Corrine sitting all alone in the huge office, staring blankly at the huge hole in the wall behind Scrooge's desk.

"Um..."

* * *

The next morning, Corrine met with Launchpad McQuack at Scrooge McDuck's private hangar.

"Good morning!" The tall duck sauntered over to shake the petite girl's hand. Corrine smiled and returned the handshake with enthusiasm.

"Good morning to you, too!" She said as she took in the large gold colored plane sitting behind them.

"Are we going to fly that today?" She asked. Launchpad nodded.

"Yessiree, I need to make sure you can handle Mr. McD's plane, and I'll give you the crash course on working with him! Pardon the expression."

Corrine giggled and headed for the plane.

"So, Launchpad," Corrine began once they had been steadily flying for a good 30 minutes. "Why are you moving to St. Canard? If you don't mind me asking."

"Not at all!" He said with a big smile. "Basically, ever since Gizmoduck came on board as Mr. McDuck's bodyguard, and since Mr. McD is getting up in age, there hasn't been as much for me to do around here. He still travels, but not nearly as often. He sends other people to travel for him a lot of the time now. Like Fenton, his accountant. He's around all the time, it seems."

Something in Launchpad's voice made Corrine pause. He sounded sad and resigned.

"I'm...sorry," Corrine said.

Launchpad looked at her, then quickly replaced his somber expression with a smile.

"Hey, no big deal! I have a big new opportunity in St. Canard! It'll be the start of a new life for me! Plus, have you heard of the masked hero they have over there now?"

Corrine rolled her eyes a bit. "Yeah, Darkwing Duck or whatever he calls himself. Sounds like a crackpot to me. Wouldn't he have to be a little nuts to run around in a mask and cape?"

"No way!" Launchpad said, as Corrine brought the plane down to land. "Darkwing Duck is a real hero! Just like Gizmoduck, but without a big fancy mechanical suit or anything like that! I hope I get to meet him when I get to St. Canard, I actually have something I want to give him!"

"You...got Darkwing Duck a present?" Corrine was incredulous.

"Well, I sorta made him a present, yeah. I mean, I'm still working on it." Launchpad said, sheepishly.

The plane came to a stop and Corrine began shutting down the engines.

"Who's that?" She asked, pointing out the windshield of the plane at a short-ish mallard wearing a purple sport coat that looked to be about a size too small for him. He waved at the plane.

"Oh, that's Fenton Crackshell. He's the accountant I mentioned."

"Oh." Corrine said, feeling angry at the duck she hadn't even met yet.

Launchpad seemed like a really nice guy, so maybe it was righteous anger on his behalf since he seemed to think Fenton was replacing him.

As they vacated the plane, Corrine reigned in her initial reaction in lieu of politeness to her new co-worker.

"Hey, Launchpad!" Fenton called, happily, still waving at them.

Launchpad waved back and Fenton came flouncing up to them like a bundle of energy.

"I wanted to meet the new pilot!" The accountant announced, then shoved his right hand at Corrine, while standing just a little too close to her.

"Hi, I'm Fenton Crackshell!"

Corrine took a half step back so that she could shake his hand.

"Uh, hi Fenton, I'm Corrine. Corrine QuackIntyre."

"Nice to meet you, Corrine!"

The young woman looked at Fenton like he had lobsters growing out of his ears. Was he always this excited about everything?

"Nice to meet you, too," she said, as he continued shaking her hand.

She finally had to pull it out of his grasp in order to save her fingers from a sudden demise.

Fenton stood looking at them awkwardly for a moment before announcing, "Well, I'd better get to work or Mr. McDuck will have my tailfeathers! See ya later!"

As he walked off, Corrine commented to Launchpad, "He's...nice."

"Yeah, he's a good guy! Come on, you wanna go grab some chow?"

"I'd love to!" Corrine said with a big smile, and she and Launchpad made their way to McDuck's mansion.

**ONE MONTH LATER...**

"Corrine!"

The sound of her name being shouted through the mansion made the young duck drop her spoon into the soup Mrs. Beakley had made for her with a resounding plop.

Shooting up out of her chair, Corrine stood stiff as a board as Scrooge McDuck entered the room.

"Get the plane ready, I just got word that one of my rain forest excavations turned up something!"

"Yes, sir!" Corrine said, jumping into action. "Will the boys be coming, too?"

"Aye, and Webby. Oh, and Fenton is coming, too."

Corrine gave a quick nod and then headed out to make sure the plane was gassed up and ready to go.

Fenton Crackshell was the first to arrive for boarding, as revved up as usual.

"Hi, Corrine!" He said and smiled warmly at the pilot.

Corrine grinned at him. In the month she had been on the McDuck team, the silly but well-meaning accountant had definitely grown on her.

Corrine pulled her waist-length black hair into a high ponytail and addressed Fenton, "Are you excited about seeing the rain forest? Have you ever been before?"

"Nope, this is my first time! I'm like a kid in a candy store!"

For some reason, at the mention of 'candy store', Fenton became slightly crestfallen, but soon regained his composure.

"Here, let me help you with that!" Corrine said as Fenton struggled to lift a single decrepit brown suitcase into the plane.

"No, no, I've got it!" He assured her, finally throwing it into the back of the plane with a thud.

"Geez, Crackshell, what did you pack? Lead shoes?" Corrine looked curiously at the small dent the briefcase had left in its wake.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing." The accountant suddenly seemed to be fumbling all over himself before pointing and saying, "Here comes Mr. McDuck and the kids!"

The subject abruptly dropped, Corrine finished her preparations and helped get everyone situated on the plane.

Sitting in the pilot seat with Scrooge McDuck next to her, Corrine was suddenly nervous.

"You'll do fine," Scoorge said, not looking at her. Corrine was sure that behind the sometimes gruff exterior, the old coot was really a sweet guy.

"Well, here goes everything!" Corrine announced and brought the engines roaring to life.

With that, they were on their way.

* * *

It was a 24 hour flight, and Corrine kept at it without taking a break.

Scrooge had actually been an accomplished pilot in his time, but she simply couldn't expect her boss to take over while she grabbed a nap.

Finally, the lush green treetops began to form beneath them, denoting the end of their flight.

But it was just then that a loud explosion sounded from the starboard engine.

"Ah, hell!" Corrine yelled, flipping on the autopilot as she ran to the control panel at the back of the plane.

Pulling the cover clear off the panel, Corrine looked desperately at the fried tangle of wires that greeted her.

"I can't believe this. It's fried. But I triple checked to make sure..."

"Come on, there's no time!" Scrooge was shoving a parachute into her arms.

Scrooge, his nephews, Webby and Fenton were calmly strapping on their parachutes. They looked to be quite familiar with plane crashes.

With a determined glare, Corrine threw her parachute to the floor and rushed back to the cockpit.

"Corrine, what are you doing?" She heard Fenton yelling over the roar of the engine.

"I can save the plane! I can still land it!" She cried out frantically, taking the plane off autopilot. She jerking up on the yoke and pulled back on the throttle with all her strength.

Fenton stood watching her, somewhere between panic and amusement. Scrooge was instructing the boys as he let them jump, one by one, out of the plane ahead of him. He took Webby's hand and called back to the cockpit, "I expect you two off this plane in five seconds or you're both fired!"

With that, he jumped. Corrine could hear Webby's screams.

"No, no, no, no," The pilot mumbled to herself as the plane continued its descent.

Fenton was pulling on her arm.

"Come ON, we have to go NOW!"

"I'm not leaving! You go!"

Sweat poured down the mallard's face as he said, "Seriously, Corrine, you're going to make me do something in a second that we'll both regret."

Not looking at him, still frantically watching the trees getting closer, Corrine snapped, "What the hell are you talking about, Fenton?"

Then she heard him yell...something. It sounded like some sort of jibberish. Then there was a strange mechanical whirring sound that finally made her turn around.

Before she could get a good look, though, something very heavy knocked her on the head and all she saw was black.

* * *

Corrine opened her eyes to the sun blaring down on her, and six very worried faces.

"Ugh, day star…" She mumbled, repeating a joke she and her brother had used every morning growing up, as the sun shone through the windows of their east-facing room.

"Wow, that's quite a bump you have!" Fenton exclaimed, but there was something in his expression that made Corrine squint her eyes at him in thought.

"Did you see what hit me, Fenton? I thought I heard you say something and then there was a weird sound like electricity and then I got conked!"

"Uh, yeah, I was trying to pull you away and then a piece of bulkhead fell down and hit you right on the noggin'! You're lucky I already had my 'shoot on! I grabbed you and jumped out."

Corrine's mouth dropped open in amazement.

"You...you saved my life?"

Fenton's face turned a very unique shade of red. "Yeah, I guess I did."

Corrine smiled at him. "Thanks."

Then the reality of the situation hit the stunned pilot, causing her to shoot to her feet.

Fighting a wave of dizziness, Corrine yelled, "The plane! Oh no, what happened to the plane?"

Scrooge leaned on his cane and said, "It's salvageable," without going into too many particulars. "But right now I'm more concerned about how salvageable my pilot is."

"I'm...fine," Corrine said, flopping back down again. She felt incredibly silly, childish and stupid. "I'm so sorry, Mr. McDuck. I can't believe that happened. I wish I knew what went wrong."

"No bother," Scrooge said. "Do you have any idea how many times Launchpad's crashed us? It's his signature move."

Corrine was confused. "Wait, what exactly is his signature move?"

"Crashing," Scrooge repeated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

* * *

The gang trudged through the rain forest in search of Scrooge's excavation site.

"Unca Scrooge!" Whined Huey...or was it Louie? Corrine still had trouble telling them apart.

"Aye, aye, I know. We'll be there soon, Dewey." Damn, wrong on all counts.

"Fenton, just leave the stupid suitcase!" Corrine found herself fussing at the accountant. He had been dragging the obviously heavy brown suitcase behind him since they had crash landed, and it was beginning to get on her nerves.

"I can't, it's full of important documents!" Fenton told her for the umpteenth time.

"Some documents..." Corrine mumbled, slipping back into a daydream. Walking aimlessly through the jungle wasn't high on her list of things to do, but at least she could use the time to think.

"Finally!" She heard the children yell in unison, breaking her from her reverie.

"There it is!" Scrooge was pointing about 800 yards into the distance where a plume of smoke could be seen, following by delicious dinner smells.

All their stomachs growled simultaneously.

Looking at each other sheepishly, Scrooge led the march. "Let's go!"

* * *

Corrine had always considered herself an excellent judge of character, and the men sitting around the makeshift campsite gave her the skeevies.

Three men, some form of dogs with their snouts darkened by the sun. They were the type of bushmen who picked their teeth with machetes and spat in the face of anacondas.

And they kept staring at Corrine with expressions that weren't hard to discern. In fact, it worried the pilot so much that she made sure to keep herself protectively between the bushmen and Webby.

Funnily enough, Corrine noticed that Fenton was hovering over her more than usual. Maybe he had gotten the same bad vibe from the men?

"McDuck," One of the men, presumably the leader, rasped in a deep voice. "We have found a certain item."

"Where is it?" Scrooge asked, cautiously.

"That..." Another one of the men said. "Is between us and the jungle. We will tell you...for a price."

Scrooge frowned. "I've already paid you."

"Hardly a sum worthy of this find!" Snapped the third man.

Corrine didn't think it was possible, but Scrooge's frown deepened.

"What do you want?"

"One million," said the first man. Then he shot a lecherous glare at Corrine and said, "And perhaps that girl."

The three men howled with laughter. Corrine flushed with anger and balled both hands into fists at her sides.

"Over my dead body," came a voice from in front of her. Fenton stood, his arms out in a protective stance, between her and the men.

The men continued laughing and Fenton clutched his suitcase closer.

Corrine saw Scrooge notice the suitcase and for a moment a look of fear crossed his features. The pilot made a mental note to wonder later what that was all about.

"Now, now, there's no need for all this ruckus!" Scrooge stood up and stared down the bushmen. "I'll consider your request, once I see this _item_ and deem it worthy of such a steep price tag!" Then as an afterthought, "The money only, of course. You'll no be touching me pilot or there will be bigger problems than a trio of greedy scoundrels!"

The men glowered and grumbled but finally agreed to Scrooge's condition.

Traipsing around the jungle with three bloodthirsty dogs who would just as soon slit your throat as look at you was way at the bottom of Corrine's list of things to do. Yet, there she was, doing exactly that.

She made a mental note to call up Launchpad when (and if) she made it home. A good verbal thrashing for not warning her about most of this stuff would make her feel better, she was sure.

Corrine didn't consider herself a pansy, but she was just a pilot. She had some survival experience because of her upbringing, and the fact that crash survival was a basic part of training, but nothing had prepared her for the dark depths of a rain forest that just kept getting deeper. Not to mention walking through said rain forest without having slept in about 36 hours, and having just survived a plane crash.

She felt lucky that Scrooge had at least listened to her suggestion that the kids were safer staying at the campsite. Even alone, they were better off than with the crazed bushmen leading the adults into heaven-knows-where. At least at the campsite they had food, water, fire and shelter.

Fenton had actually insisted that Corrine stay behind with the children, but Corrine impressed upon him that the bushmen were definitely crooked so she would go to keep their numbers even. Three on three.

Fenton had still tried arguing with her, had said something about how their numbers were more even than she realized, but then Scrooge had shushed him and snapped that they were wasting time.

So Corrine had gone with them, though she was beginning to wish she'd had the sense to stay behind with the children.

And Fenton was still dragging that infernal suitcase around with him!

"Fenton!" Corrine snapped. "Would you give the suitcase a rest! What could possibly be that important that it couldn't stay behind with the kids?"

Fenton's mood was somber as he said, "If this goes the way it's been going, you might get the chance to find out."

Corrine didn't bother him any more after that.

Finally, they arrived at a clearing in the brush. Corrine could hear a waterfall somewhere nearby and her mouth watered.

"Here it is, McDuck," The taller of the dogs said. "Right down here."

He pointed at two ridiculously large holes that had been dug into the ground. Scrooge cautiously moved closer to one of them, trying to peer down.

When he was close enough to the edge, one of the shorter dogs pushed him in.

Corrine let out a cry of anger, and Fenton threw down his suitcase and opened his beak to say something, but he was tackled by the shortest of the dogs.

The bushman who had made the crack of using her as payment approached Corrine slowly. She pulled a serrated hunting knife from her boot and took a protective stance.

"How cute," the man cooed. "She thinks she stands a chance."

"What should we do with the geek, boss?" The other two men had successfully knocked Fenton unconscious and held his limp body up between them.

"Just toss him in the other hole. With McDuck gone, that huge ass yellow diamond is ours anyway. Doesn't matter what happens to the rest of them." He drew closer to Corrine, who was busy looking between her pursuer and Fenton's lifeless form being dragged to the hole opposite of where Scrooge had fallen.

Finally breaking into a sprint that took her past the big dog, she flung herself to the ground at the edge of the hole and grabbed Fenton's arm just as he was tossed in.

Perched precariously at the edge of a twenty foot drop into oblivion, desperately clutching the arm of an unconscious accountant was very low on the list of things Corrine wanted to be doing. Alas.

As the three dirty dogs came up behind Corrine to grab her, Fenton opened his eyes.

"C...Corrine?" He mumbled sleepily.

"Fenton, you're okay!" Corrine didn't really have time to analyze her elation at seeing Fenton coherent, because there were more pressing matters at hand. Like staying alive and possibly saving their boss. One of the men grabbed Corrine roughly by her long hair and jerked her head back, but she managed to keep her hold on Fenton.

Then Fenton did something Corrine definitely wasn't expecting.

"BLATHERING BLATHERSKITE!" He bellowed as loudly as his bruised ribs would allow.

From somewhere behind them came a familiar electrical buzzing sound, and then suddenly Corrine was no longer holding Fenton, but rather was being held in a pair of metal arms.

Gizmoduck set the pilot gently on the ground and then addressed the bushmen.

"I would normally say something like, '_you've gone too far, you devious miscreants! Prepare to be thwarted!_' But in this case, too far was back when you pushed Mr. McDuck down a very large hole. You're so far beyond too far, I can't even tell you."

Then Corrine was blinded by a series of explosions, deafened by a series of screams, and utterly stupefied by the fact that Fenton Crackshell was Gizmoduck.

"Huh. Didn't see that one coming." She muttered to herself.

Then she passed out again.

* * *

When Corrine opened her eyes, she saw Fenton tending to Scrooge McDuck's scrapes and bruises like a fussy nurse maid.

"Hold still, Mr. McDuck!" The accountant and part-time superhero snapped.

"That'll do, Fenton!" Scrooge snapped back and pulled his injured arm away, wincing a bit at the action.

"Oh, hey, Corrine! You're awake!" Fenton bounded over to her, happily.

"Fenton, I..." She started to say, but he held a finger to her bill to shush her.

"Look, I know what you're going to say. But only two other people in the whole world know, and one of them is sitting over there. Just please tell me you can keep a secret?" His eyes and voice pleaded with her, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why. He almost acted like he was glad she knew.

"Of course I can. But that's not even what I was going to say. Secret identities aside, I wanted to thank you for saving me back there. It was you...er...Gizmoduck on the plane too, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Fenton said, kicking at the ground a bit in embarrassment.

"Well, thanks for saving my tailfeathers twice now." Corrine smiled and then wrapped her arms around the mallard in a tender hug.

Fenton was sure his face was turning every shade of red under the sun, but he didn't really care.

Pulling reluctantly from the hug, Fenton said, "Actually, I owe you thanks, too. You kept me from hitting rock bottom, literally. Why did you risk your life like that?"

Corrine wasn't one to blush, but she was certainly left speechless for a moment. Mostly because she had asked herself the same thing.

"I...I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "I was more scared of them hurting you than me. Instinct just kicked in."

The two stared at each other for a long time, until someone clearing his throat broke them from their stupor.

Scrooge looked at them and tapped his foot, impatiently.

"Come on, lovebirds. Let's get out of here."

Still blushing and feeling generally awkward, Fenton and Corrine followed Scrooge out of the woods and back to camp.

* * *

_Giggling like school children, Corrine pulled Fenton into her small studio apartment where they proceeded to strip off their soaking wet clothes. They had been on their way back from dinner when a surprise thunderstorm had cropped up, creating a very cold and wet after-date experience. Dripping all over the floor and still laughing from the soggy situation and a little too much wine, Corrine made her way to the bathroom and started running piping hot water into the tub._

_Leaning against the doorframe, watching Corrine pour bubble bath into the tub, Fenton mumbled, "Do you want me to go while you wash up?"_

_Corrine's smile got wider._

"_No," she said, standing and pulling Fenton all the way into the room. "I want you to stay."_

_She captured his lips in a passionate kiss, and they cast off the rest of their clothes and sunk into the tub together._

* * *

The next morning, Corrine stretched and then felt herself being pulled into a tight embrace.

The warm arms wrapped around her were familiar and safe. She cuddled even more into Fenton's chest.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to say to you," Corrine said, not wanting to ruin the moment but needing to get something off her chest.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked, happily. Corrine couldn't help but smile.

She could never picture Fenton upset or in a bad mood.

"Listen, it's about when you go out as Gizmoduck. Can you promise me that you'll be very careful?"

Fenton hugged the girl tighter still.

"Of course I'll be careful! I'm always careful! Besides, now I have something really worth coming home to. Er...not that M'Ma isn't great and all..."

Giggling, Corrine turned to face her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss. "Thanks. It would really mean a lot to me. I'm...scared of losing someone else I love."

He knew his first instinct should have been to ask her who she had lost, but Fenton zeroed in on the 'love' word and exclaimed, "Did you just say you love me?"

Corrine's expression turned very serious. "Yeah, I guess I did. And believe me when I say that I don't use that word very often."

And then Fenton was kissing her with renewed fervor, and Corrine put any sad thoughts she'd had aside.

* * *

"Fenton, I want to meet this girl!" Mrs. Crackshell demanded, but not so much that she felt the need to get up off the couch. After all, her favorite episode of Pelican's Island was on!

Fenton looked around at the tattered dump of a trailer he shared with his mother and sighed.

"Wait," his mother continued, "Is this the blonde girl or a different one?"

"A different one," Fenton answered, trying to hide his annoyance. "Gandra broke up with me because of my busy work schedule, remember? You know, the whole secret identity thing I could never tell her?"

Mrs. Crackshell nodded absently. "Good, good, then I definitely want to meet the new one."

Fenton crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "Fine, but how about I treat the three of us to dinner out?"

"Why, Fenton! That sounds lovely! Now shush, the commercials are over..."

Fenton rolled his eyes and made a hasty retreat.

He found Corrine at McDuck's hangar, wearing dirty overalls and fiddling with some very dangerous looking circuitry.

"Hey, Corrine!" He called, causing her to smack her head soundly on an open panel.

"Fenton!" the pilot cried in annoyance, but then couldn't help but smile at his abashed expression.

"Sorry!" He said, running over and pulling her into a tight hug.

Corrine rubbed at the bump on her head while Fenton excitedly exclaimed, "I have some good news! I'm taking you out to dinner tonight!"

Corrine smiled. "Thanks, Fenton. But what's the occasion?"

"Oh, you know," he suddenly seemed less excited. "It's just that my mother wants to meet you."

"She does?" Corrine was quite a bit more excited than Fenton was at the prospect.

"Yep! Can you meet us tonight around 7:00 at The Golden Ducky?"

Corrine pictured the little family restaurant in her mind and nodded, a smile lighting her face.

"Great, see you then!" Fenton gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head where she had bumped it, and wandered off to McDuck's mansion.

Corrine shook her head and got back to work, still smiling.

* * *

"Where could she be?" Fenton had gone from mildly annoyed to extremely worried as the clock ticked from 7:30 to 8:00 with no sign of Corrine.

"I guess she didn't really want to meet your dear mother," Mrs. Crackshell said as she munched absently on a dinner roll.

"No, that's not it," Fenton mumbled, "This isn't like her at all! Something must have happened."

It was then that Webra Walters appeared on the television mounted behind the nearby bar and made an announcement that made Fenton's blood run cold.

"Webwa Walters weporting in from Duckburg Bay where there seems to be a hostage situation taking place at this vewy moment!"

The camera cut from the reporter to a small form dangling from the bridge that connected Duckburg to the island city of St. Canard. The form was wrapped tightly in a series of ropes, and Fenton could see long black hair being whipped around in a strong wind.

Fenton gulped and turned to his mother.

"I have to go, M'Ma. I just found Corrine."

* * *

"Prepare to get your ass kicked, you damned dirty dog!" Corrine snapped as loudly as she could at her tormentor. "Because if Gizmoduck doesn't kill you this time, I sure as hell will!"

The large dog bent down over the side of the bridge to bring his snout slightly closer to his captive. "That's the idea, love. Except when Gizmoduck comes for you, it'll be me who kills him. If he didn't want this to happen, he should have finished us off back in the jungle."

Of course the bushman who had decided to come for revenge had to have been the meanest of the bunch. He had taken Corrine by surprise, getting the drop on her as she left work to meet Fenton and his mother for dinner.

When she'd opened her eyes, she'd nearly thrown up her lunch. As a pilot, she had no problem with heights...but water was another issue altogether. Water wasn't Corrine's favorite thing, especially since she'd never learned to swim and tended to sink like a rock. She couldn't help it, she just tensed up, and down she went! So to wake up dangling precariously over Duckburg Bay was very low on her list of things to do.

Corrine had another string of profanities ready to sling at the dog, but was cut off by a chill running through her from the high winds.

The sun had almost disappeared over the horizon when Corrine heard what sounded like a helicopter, and then a bright spotlight suddenly focused straight on her.

"Young lady!" Gizmoduck bellowed. Corrine tried not to smile, but it was hard. Fenton was such a ham in a can! "I shall thwart this villain swiftly and be with you momentarily!"

Gizmoduck flew over to Corrine's captor, and she could only imagine what was happening by the sounds being made above her.

"You came for the little bitch, just like I thought you would," the bushman said, enraging Gizmoduck.

"I don't know who you think you are," said Gizmoduck as he circled around the villain, "But if you keep talking like that, I can assure you that you'll be leaving Duckburg in pieces."

"Oh? You think so?" The dog reached into his filthy jacket and pulled out the biggest yellow diamond ever unearthed.

"They say this diamond is cursed, but the curse gives me power. That's why I survived in the jungle."

"Ridiculous," Gizmoduck muttered, but he found he couldn't take his eyes off the huge diamond.

"It's not ridiculous, not when you've seen the things I've seen. By the way, my name is Rex Grills. I want you to know this since I'm going to kill you."

Gizmoduck smirked. "Nice to meet you, Rex. Such a shame that it'll be a very short lived meeting."

After that, Corrine strained to hear what was going on, but the yelling and explosions mixed together. She couldn't tell if Fenton was winning or losing.

"Gizmoduck!" Corrine tried to scream over the din, but her voice disappeared into the wind like confetti during a typhoon.

Some flashes of light blinded the pilot as she tried to look above her head at the scene taking place, and then she suddenly saw a huge yellow diamond plunging past her into the murky waters of the bay, and then her ropes loosened and she was soon following it.

It happened so quickly that she barely had time to process it.

While Gizmoduck and the bushman battled on, something must have loosened her restraints from the bridge's base. As she fell, she knew Gizmoduck was too busy fighting to notice her absence.

With barely a scream, Corrine plummeted into the freezing waters below.

* * *

She had never been unconscious so many times in her entire life.

When Corrine awoke from her plummet into Duckburg Bay, it was to the worried faces of Scrooge McDuck, Fenton Crackshell, and an older female duck with her blonde hair in curlers. Corrine surmised she was Fenton's mother.

"You certainly have a knack for getting into trouble," was the first thing Scrooge said. Corrine moaned.

"Um, Corrine, I'm sorry I let you fall into the Bay," Fenton said, not looking her in the eyes. "I should have been paying more attention, but I swear that man will never bother you again..."

"It's okay," Corrine said. Her voice was very hoarse. "I wouldn't have been able to swim, even if my arms hadn't been tied."

No one had a response to that. Somehow, it made them all feel even worse.

"Hi, I'm Fenton's mother," said Mrs. Crackshell, unhelpfully.

"Nice to meet you," Corrine said, forcing a small smile.

"Everyone out, I need to speak to the lass privately," Scrooge announced, then proceeded to shoo the Crackshells out of the room. Corrine could hear Fenton's protests from the hallway.

"What is it, Mr. McDuck?" Corrine asked, nervously.

"I have a hangar in St. Canard with a couple of small private planes. I tend use whatever vendor is cheapest at the time, and hire pilots on an as-needed basis to fly my smaller cargo. I want you there, instead. You can work on stand-by for me."

"Wait, what?" Corrine was taken aback. "I get kidnapped and fall off a bridge and now you want me to go work in St. Canard? Sir, I'm sure nothing like this will ever happen again..."

Scrooge interrupted her gruffly, "Corrine. I dunna think this life is for you. You might be safer and better off elsewhere."

"But, Fenton..."

"It's not that far. I'm sure you can see each other on weekends. Besides, I doubt you've thought of the consequences of being around him so much. You think of him as Fenton Crackshell, but he's also Gizmoduck, and Gizmoduck has enemies."

Corrine knew her beak was hanging open in shock, but she couldn't bring herself to close it just yet.

Finally, Corrine managed to say, "Why not just have Launchpad work at your hangar? He already lives in St. Canard."

"Aye, but he has his own...things...going on over there now. He doesn't owe me anything."

"Can I think about it for a bit and get back to you?" Corrine's eyes pleaded for Scrooge to at least give her time.

"Of course," he conceded, then walked to the door to let Fenton back in and remove himself from the argument he knew was surely about to ensue.

* * *

"How could you even consider it?" Fenton's voice had taken on a whiny quality, and Corrine frowned.

"Because it's my life. I love flying, but apparently I'm a walking disaster. So maybe I'd be better off."

"So that's it?" Fenton said, his voice changed from whiny to steely. "You're just going to let Mr. McDuck dictate what you do?"

Corrine rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Of course not! But he made me an offer, and it's my choice whether I want to consider it or not! Fenton, think about it! We have been on a total of ONE adventure and already some whack-job with an obsession stalked me down and kidnapped me to get back at you. I can only imagine what could happen on future adventures with even crazier enemies. Not to mention, tons of people want a piece of Mr. McDuck, too. I wish I was a braver person, but I'm not that kind of girl. I just want to fly planes and see the world. I would prefer to do all that with someone I love, but not if it'll get me killed. "

"Corrine," Fenton said, his voice low and calm, "The reason I do what I do is because I want to make a difference. I want to help people. You can be a part of all that!"

Corrine said nothing for a moment, then looked up at Fenton with her eyes full of tears.

"Would you give it all up? _Could _you give it all up?"

Fenton was silent for a long time. Corrine finally cracked a smile and said, "I didn't think so. Fenton, I can't lose you to some criminal. And I don't want to die before my 26th birthday. There are some things you can never take back."

Quietly, Fenton voiced the question that had plagued him. "What are you so afraid of?"

Setting her jaw and looking him straight in the eyes, Corrine said, "I lost my brother in a work-related accident. He was a firefighter, like most of my family. He was on a call, fighting a blaze for a good hour when things finally started to turn around and the fire was almost out. Then, all of a sudden a piece of the gutter filled to the brim with debris swooped down and crushed him again the side of the house. He probably didn't even feel it."

Fenton looked at Corrine for a long time; trying not to let the pity he felt show on his face.

"I won't end up like your brother," he finally said. "And I won't allow you to, either."

Shaking her head, Corrine whispered. "You don't know that. I won't go through that pain again. I have to protect myself. My brother once told me that sometimes you have to be selfish while you're still young, and it's okay."

"Fine," Fenton said, sounding resigned. "I understand. But someday you'll have to let yourself love again. And when you do, I'll be there."

Then, without another word, Fenton turned and left the room. His head hung low and his eyes focused on the floor.

Corrine watched him go, then closed her eyes and whispered, "Goodbye." Then she let the tears finally fall.

* * *

"_St. Canard's resident hero, Darkwing Duck, seems to have teamed up once again with Duckburg's Gizmoduck! This is Tom Lockjaw reporting from..."_

At the sound of the name Gizmoduck, the 29-year-old waitress with long black hair nearly broke the glass she was cleaning.

"Gertrude," Corrine said, her demeanor different than what her regular customers were used to, "Could you please turn off that tripe? I don't want to hear it."

"But Corrine!" Gertrude, her gossipy middle-aged friend exclaimed, "You know how I love to hear about those vigilante heroes! Oh, they're so sexy!"

Corrine did break the glass then, and stormed out of the room.

"Geez," Gertrude said to no one in particular. "Who pissed in her Banana Bran Flakes?"

Her shift was over anyway, so Corrine QuackIntyre made her way out of the back door of the small diner she had worked at for the past several years. After that damned Scrooge McDuck had neglected to use her services for several months, the grounded pilot had taken to waiting tables to make ends meet.

The walk back to her apartment was familiar and helped to calm her down. It had been almost four years since she'd left Duckburg behind, yet she still found it difficult at times to let go of...certain things. Like a sweet and sappy accountant who sometimes flew around in a big metal suit fighting bad guys, and who had once loved her.

But with the familiar busy city all around her, the young woman found it was easier to fight off the loneliness.

Unfortunately, her calm was once again shattered as she passed by an electronics store with several TVs playing in the front window.

"_...The fisherman will not be keeping the large yellow diamond, however he will be receiving a finder's fee as the diamond, once thought lost forever, is transported to the St. Canard Museum of Antiquities for study. Once again, this is Tom Lockjaw reporting from Audubon Bay, where a large and ancient yellow diamond has been pulled from the water..."_

Corrine stood still as a statue, staring blankly into the store window.

"Oh, shit," she finally said.

No one was around to hear.

* * *

"Seriously, Wingy, you should let me handle the diamond situation," Gizmoduck repeated for the dozenth time.

"I _said _you can come along, but if you think I'm going to leave you alone to protect that thing then you're more stupid than you look!"

"Hey!" Gizmoduck began, but was interrupted by the museum curator.

"Good evening, gentleman," the elderly duck greeted, pushing his thick glasses further up on his beak.

"Yeah, hi," said Darkwing, briskly walking past the curator to get a better look at the yellow diamond.

"So this is the thing causing all the fuss, huh?" Darkwing leaned closer to the glass display case, but was roughly pulled back by his cape.

"Be careful!" Gizmoduck hissed. "That thing makes people crazy!"

Shooting Gizmoduck a baleful glance, Darkwing muttered under his breath, "That would explain a few things..."

Gizmoduck opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"Hey," came a soft female voice from behind them.

Darkwing turned around and considered the young woman for a few moments. On the petite side, long hair, feminine, dressed in a waitress uniform. Not a threat.

"Sorry, miss," Darkwing began, "The diamond isn't ready for viewing yet and the museum is closing..."

"I'm not here to see the diamond. Well, I wanted to make sure it was safely locked behind glass. But I came to see this talking display case over here," the girl said, sticking out her thumb in Gizmoduck's direction and smiling.

Darkwing's eyebrow winged up and he suppressed a chuckle.

"Hello, Corrine," came Gizmoduck's voice. He hadn't turned around to face the woman, but seemed to be staring at the diamond as he spoke.

"Hi," She said, her smile faltering the slightest bit. "It's been a while."

Darkwing looked between the woman and Gizmoduck a couple of times and then shrugged. "You know, honestly, I don't want to know. I'll be over here...uh...patrolling."

He walked out of earshot and Gizmoduck finally turned to face Corrine.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed voice that sounded a lot more like Fenton than Gizmoduck.

"I saw it on the news. About the diamond. I was...worried."

"About me?"

Corrine shrugged.

Then every light in the museum went out.

From the other side of the museum, Corrine and Gizmoduck could hear Darkwing yell, "Geez, the nerve of these criminals to try and steal a giant diamond while Darkwing Duck is protecting it!"

"Corrine, get out of here! It could be dangerous!" Gizmoduck ordered and then spun around, kicking his motor into high gear so that he could investigate other areas of the museum.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Corrine muttered, "Yep, always second fiddle to some criminals. The more things change, the more they stay the same."

As Corrine walked out of the museum, something up on the dome roof caught her eye. There was someone moving around up there, and from the yellow of the strangers clothes she knew it was not Gizmoduck or Darkwing.

"Curiouser and curiouser," she whispered to herself and headed around the back of the building to get a better look.

* * *

"Listen, Darkwing, I think we should check the back," Gizmoduck attempted to persuade the stubborn sleuth, but to no avail.

"And _I _think you should just leave the thinking to me!" Darkwing snapped.

"Now listen here..."Gizmoduck began to fall into the familiar bickering he was used to with Darkwing, but then thought better of it.

"Never mind," he said and headed for the back door of the building. "I'll go check the back, you check wherever you want."

"Suit yourself!" Darkwing called over his shoulder, already on his way back to the atrium where the diamond was being stored.

As St. Canard's hero stepped into the large circular room, the full moon illuminating it almost as if the lights were still on, he noticed that the glass dome roof also managed to cast strange shadows on the marble floor of the room. Strange rat-shaped shadows.

Looking up, Darkwing saw Megavolt preparing to smash in the roof.

* * *

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Corrine screamed at the would-be thief in what she hoped was a very threatening voice.

"And who are you?" Megavolt asked, looking up with some interest. He noticed her uniform and laughed, "The Winged Waitress?"

Roaring with laughter at his own joke, Megavolt fell onto his side in conniptions.

Corrine looked at the criminal, askance. Were all villains like this? If so, she would have to give Fenton a hard time about making the superhero thing seem like a big deal.

"My outfit aside, just what do you think you're doing?" She yelled at Megavolt, knowing that villains always loved to announce their schemes.

"Oh, I'm gonna steal that big diamond and give it to the old duck who hired me to...uh...steal it!"

Corrine blinked at the battery-charged villain and then said, "Well...I won't let you!"

"Why not?"

His question caught Corrine off guard. Which is exactly why she never wanted to get involved in this stuff to begin with!

"Well...because...stealing is wrong."

Megavolt laughed some more and then turned his back to the girl.

As he continued to chip away at the glass roof, Corrine pondered what her next move should be. As it turned out, she didn't have to ponder for long.

"HALT, VILLAIN!" Came the voice of Gizmoduck and the sound of his propeller.

"Finally!" Corrine said to herself.

Surprised, Megavolt lost his footing and began to fall backwards into the glass dome.

"Whoa there!" Corrine exclaimed and instinctively reached out to stop the descent of the jumpsuit clad rat-thing. Unfortunately, with the battery on his back weighing him down more than usual, and with the momentum of tripping, Megavolt fell through the glass despite Corrine's best efforts, taking her with him.

With a scream of surprise, Corrine found herself plummeting toward the cold marble floor of the museum.

She heard her name being yelled by Gizmoduck, but it did her little good. He didn't have enough space to follow her through the hole Megavolt had created.

Preparing herself for possible death or at least many broken bones, Corrine tensed. The impact she was expecting, however, never came. Something had broken her fall.

"What the hell?" She murmured, then pulled a large gray fedora out from under her butt.

"Oh!"

Jumping to her feet, Corrine grabbed Darkwing Duck by an arm and hauled him up. "I'm so sorry about that!" she apologized profusely. "I didn't mean for your back to break my fall!"

"My pleasure, ma'am," Darkwing mumbled, limping away.

Wheeling himself through the front door of the museum like a semi-normal person, Gizmoduck hollered across the room, "Corrine, are you all right?"

"Is SHE all right?" Yelled Darkwing as he hefted an unconscious Megavolt up off the ground. "You should be asking if I'm all right! I was the one used as an airbag!"

"Well, you ARE full of hot air," snapped Gizmoduck.

Corrine let out a melodramatic sigh and quipped, "The world's greatest bromance."

Then she decided, due to their Death Glares, to keep her beak shut. Apparently they were too tense for some good-natured teasing!

"I wonder what Megavolt of all people would want with a giant yellow diamond?" Darkwing pondered out loud. "He's usually only interested in light bulbs and electronics."

"Oh, I can answer that!" Corrine offered. "Up on the roof he told me some old duck hired him to steal it."

Darking place his thumb and forefinger under his beak in thought and muttered, "Hmmm...an old duck with money to burn and a penchant for rare gems."

"That could be anyone!" said Gizmoduck.

"Kind of reminds me of Mr. McDuck," Corrine said, off-handedly.

"Say," said Darkwing, "That's not a bad idea! Giz, what would that old coot do to get this diamond back? Wasn't it his excavation that originally unearthed it?"

Gizmoduck stiffened with indignation. "Mr. McDuck would NEVER involve himself with villains! He has enough money and clout to get the gem back some other LEGAL way!"

Corrine had subconsciously stiffened up at the mention of the excavation that had unearthed the rare stone, but she snapped out of it long enough to nod in agreement. "Yeah, McDuck is a good guy! I was just thinking out loud!" She paused for a moment, finally taking Darkwing Duck into consideration. She'd never so much as seen a decent picture of him before, and now she was talking with the mysterious vigilante. Out of the corner of her eye, she also took in the recognizable silhouette of the Gizmosuit. It suddenly struck her as funny that she was standing there with two costumed heroes, one she happened to know intimately, discussing serious issues of thievery and conspiracy while still dressed in her uniform from the diner.

No use trying to stop the freight train of fate, as it were.

Corrine stuck out her right hand toward Darkwing Duck and politely said, "Hi, by the way, I'm Corrine QuackIntyre. Sorry to stick my beak into your business like this. I came to say hi to Gizmoduck, that's all. We're old friends from Duckburg."

Darkwing shook the young woman's hand and smiled politely. He obviously bought her little white lie. Hell, she almost bought it, herself!

"Nice to meet you, Corrine," the masked crimefighter said, distractedly. "I think you may have been on the right track with that McDuck thing, so let's get back to the case at hand. Can you think of any other rich old ducks who might be interested in this supposedly cursed diamond?"

Corrine shook her head, "I wasn't really around Mr. McDuck enough to learn of any others he might know, and I don't keep up with business magazines."

"Wait," Gizmoduck piped in. "I remember Mr. McDuck mentioning an enemy of his. A rival, of sorts. The second richest duck in the world. Oh, if only I could remember his name..."

Darkwing and Corrine stared awkwardly at Gizmoduck as he wracked his brain for the name.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the cybernetic hero exclaimed, "I remember! The name is Glomgold! Flintheart Glomgold!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	2. Break it, it Never Mattered Anyway

_Here is chapter two! I had actually hoped to get more packed into this one, but I have to go on hiatus until after Valentine's Day weekend! I have some other creative projects I have to work on, and this story is a huge distraction! But fear not, I actually have a TON more already written up, it just needs to be proofread and slapped together accordingly since I sometimes write scenes out of order!_

_So please enjoy this chapter and stay tuned! Next month will reveal a bunch of identities and A MAJOR NEW VILLAIN!_

_**Edited 2/20/12**_

* * *

_If we don't make it alive  
Well, it's a hell of a good day to die  
All our light that shines strong  
Only lasts for so long..._

_-_Half-Truism, The Offspring

* * *

"Spill it, Sparky!"

"DON'T CALL ME SPARKY!"

Corrine exchanged a long-suffering glance with Gizmoduck and then rolled her eyes.

Darkwing had been "interrogating" Megavolt for what felt like years, and had still managed to get nowhere.

"I told you, Dipwing!" the villain yelled. "I don't know who he is! But he doesn't have a beard, and he doesn't wear a kilt! What is WRONG with you people?"

"Well," said Gizmoduck, "if the cad is telling the truth, then it wasn't Glomgold."

"What did he look like, then? Spill it, or you'll be meeting with your good friend A JAR OF WATER!" Darkwing threatened, holding said jar of water near the criminal.

"No, no, don't douse me! I'll talk!" Megavolt pleaded, pulling away from Darkwing.

Megavoly cleared his throat, as if hunkering down for a long story. "He was a very average looking duck. Probably in his mid-fifties, on the short side, with no distinguishing marks or anything like that. What I found weirder than the guy, himself, was all the stuff in his office. A ton of artifacts and relics. Stuff like that. He seemed smart, so I got the feeling he was an archaeologist or something."

"Thanks, Megs," Darkwing said, somewhat sarcastically. "I'll make sure the judge knows what a big help you've been."

With that, Darkwing motioned for them to leave and let the SCPD take care of the rest.

After they were safely out of ear shot, Darkwing sighed. "All right, fine, we don't know any more now than we did before."

"Good job, Wingy," said Gizmoduck, sarcastically.

"Okay, smart guy, where do you think we should start looking?"

"Um, I have a suggestion," Corrine piped up.

The two heroes stopped and stared at her, putting the waitress on the spot.

"Uh, that is...well...I was thinking if we just figure out where Megavolt met with the guy, we could start there and look for clues or something."

The two crimefighters looked at each other, then back at Corrine, then at each other. Corrine resisted the urge to fidget.

After Darkwing smacked his hand against his forehead in frustration and possibly embarrassment, he turned back to Corrine and said, "Just FYI, _we_are not doing anything. _YOU_are going home and Giz and I are going to get back to heroing."

Corrine opened her mouth to give the costumed vigilante a good verbal thrashing about his attitude, but Gizmoduck stopped her.

"That's actually a good idea, Darkwing. Come on, Corrine, I'll take you home."

"But I don't want you to take me..." She was cut off by Gizmoduck lifting her swiftly off the ground and activating his helmetcopter.

Darking watched them go, shrugged, and turned back to the police station. He had one more question for Megavolt, after all.

* * *

Once they were much too high up for anyone to hear them, Corrine began the rant that Fenton had been anticipating all night.

"Damn it, Fenton, I honestly don't know why I even bother! All I have to do it be around you for two seconds and trouble follows me! And that Darkwing guy! Geez, how can you stand him? I've never seen someone so hellbent on being obnoxious and unlikeable!"

Fenton listened quietly as he flew Corrine to her apartment. When she seemed to be finished, or perhaps getting her second wind, he decided to put in his two cents.

"Wingy is a hard guy to get to know, that's all. I don't always agree with his methods, but he has a brilliantly erratic mind and he's really grown on me as a person. And if you hate being around crime fighters so much, you could choose to stay out of it, you know! You're the one who came to see me at the museum, and then stuck your beak in with Megavolt! You could have just stayed home!"

He landed outside the back sliding glass doors to Corrine's first floor apartment, and she used her key to let them both inside.

"You're right," she said. "I could have stayed home. But I saw that news report about the diamond and I got a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. There's some reason that thing was buried for so long, and there's some reason that crazed madman survived out in the jungle after you thought you'd taken care of him. I can't shake the feeling that it really is cursed, but maybe not in the way people think. Like, I don't think it brings bad luck or that sort of thing. There's something else. And because I was there the day it was found, I'm unfortunately somewhat responsible for it, whether I want to be or not! And take off that stupid get-up!"

With a sigh, Gizmoduck reached up and pressed a small, nearly invisible button on the Gizmosuit. It released itself from his body and dropped to the floor with a resounding thud.

Standing there, looking a bit taken aback by Corrine's feelings on the diamond subject, was Fenton Crackshell.

Other than his expression, however, he looked the same as he had four years prior. Corrine couldn't help but smile as she said, "It's good to see you again." With that, she walked over and gave the accountant a warm hug.

Hugging her back, perhaps a little too tightly, Fenton found he wasn't sure how to respond to Corrine's assessment of the diamond. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to. His elbow phone began ringing incessantly.

"Sorry, I have to get that, it's my private line."

"Helloooo?" He sing-songed in his Gizmoduck voice as he answered the phone.

"Took you long enough!" Corrine could clearly hear the voice of Darkwing Duck on the other end. "I found out where Megavolt made the deal with our mystery duck, so come meet me at Darkwing Tower, pronto!"

Then there was a click and a dial tone.

Corrine had an amused smirk as she said, "He's grown on you, huh?"

Fenton went back to his normal speaking voice and answered, "Yeah, like a fungus."

* * *

Darkwing Duck found himself pacing the Tower as he waited for Gizmoduck to arrive.

Launchpad had gone home to make sure that Darkwing's, or rather Drake Mallard's, 13-year-old daughter did her homework. So left to his own devices, Darkwing found himself growing uneasy about the case of the yellow diamond. He didn't think much of the supernatural, especially after all the things he'd seen when he was with Morgana, so the very idea that the diamond could have some otherworldly purpose put him on edge.

He barely looked up when he heard Gizmoduck enter the Tower via his propeller.

"What's the news, Wingy?" Asked the metal-clad hero upon landing.

"We're taking a road trip, Giz. Megavolt assured me that we can find our guy over in Featherhaven."

Gizmoduck was incredulous, "That entire town is full of blue-blood yuppies! What would someone from Featherhaven want with someone like Megavolt?"

"A stooge," Darkwing said, simply. "It makes sense. Some rich yuppy duck with too much to lose learns about Megavolt from the news. He decides Megavolt would do anything for enough money, or possibly even tempts him with electronics, so he contacts him with a business proposition. Even if he fails, Megavolt takes the fall and no one is the wiser. Especially since Megavolt is two tacos short of a combination platter and can barely remember his own name."

They headed over to Darkwing's motorcycle, the Ratcatcher, and Darkwing hopped on.

"Follow me, Giz. We're about to crack this case wide open!"

* * *

"Launchpaaaaad? Oh, Laaaaaaunchpaaaaad?" Gosalyn Mallard called through the house she shared with her father and his best friend.

The rambunctious teenager grinned to herself and bounded down the stairs, making a beeline for two blue easy chairs at the back of the living room. With Launchpad occupied elsewhere, she thought she might sneak away to Darkwing Tower and see what her dad was up to. Even though he specifically told her not to. She thought of her dad's instructions more as guidelines than actual rules.

Before she could settle into one of the chairs and hit the secret switch in the head of the statue that sat between them, there was a knock at the front door.

"Figures," the little red-head mumbled under her breath. She opened the door to reveal a diminutive female duck with long black hair and large amber eyes. She was holding a slip of paper in her hand and looked unsure of herself.

"Hi," said Gosalyn. It wasn't often they got visitors. "Are you here to see my dad or something?"

Corrine took in the little girl's red hair and gasped. "Your dad isn't Launchpad McQuack, is he?"

"WHAT? LAUNCHPAD? NO!" Gosalyn hadn't meant to sound so offended, but she hadn't expected the woman at the door to come up with something like that!

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Corrine said, giving an embarrassing chuckle. "I was looking for Launchpad, he's an old friend of mine, and I was under the impression he lived here."

"He does live here!" Gosalyn exclaimed, pulling Corrine into the house. "He's my dad's best friend!"

"Is he here?" Corrine asked, smiling at the young girl's excitement.

"He was, but I guess he left. Sometimes he works nights along with my dad. So, how do you know Launchpad?"

Corrine's smile grew at the girl's exuberance, but rather than answer her question about Launchpad, she said, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that you shouldn't let strangers into the house?"

Gosalyn grinned back and answered, "Trust me, I can take care of myself. Besides, Launchpad will be back soon. So how do you know him, again?"

Corrine finally gave in and said, "We met when he decided to leave Duckburg and move here, actually. I got hired as Scrooge McDuck's replacement pilot."

"Keen gear! Did you have a bunch of exciting adventures?"

Corrine paused and chose her words carefully. She decided to tell the truth.

"We had one adventure, but it was more terrifying than exciting. After that, I ended up moving here, too."

"How come you've never come by to see Launchpad before?"

"Well..." Corrine wasn't sure that the girl would quite understand the concept of never wanting to be reminded of something that causes pain, so she left the question hanging in the air.

Luckily, that was when Launchpad decided to finally come home with two bags filled to the brim with dinner from Hamburger Hippo.

"Hey, Gos, I got you a triple burger and curly fries..." The pilot's train of thought jumped the track when he saw the woman standing in the middle of the living room.

"Corrine?" The large duck exclaimed, dropping the bags and rushing over to scoop the waitress up in his arms.

Being spun around in such a happy bear hug, Corrine couldn't help but giggle.

"Hi, Launchpad! Long time no see!"

"Wow, what are you doing here?" He asked, putting her down. "How long have you been in St. Canard?"

"I came to say hi to an old friend, obviously! And...well...I've been here for about four years now."

"Four YEARS? I wish you'd come by sooner!"

All three of them flopped down on the couch, and Gosalyn began ignoring the adults' conversation as she tore into her dinner.

Corrine hastily turned the subject away from herself by asking, "So, Launchpad, what are you up to these days?'

It was then that Corrine noticed, for the first time ever, Launchpad clamming up. He had always been one of the most honest people she had never met, yet in that moment she could tell he was choosing his words very carefully.

"I do this and that. Mostly help out with Gosalyn here, and work sometimes with my roommate, Drake."

"Ah, Drake, that's your friend's name?" Corrine looked around the room and saw a portrait hanging on a nearby wall of Launchpad, the girl whose name she had just learned was Gosalyn (though she appeared several years younger in the picture) and a third, shorter mallard who was obviously Drake.

"Yeah, that's him. Speaking of which, I'm not sure when he'll be home from work...we should probably go sit in the kitchen where it's more comfortable!"

Corrine mulled over the fact that most kitchens weren't more comfortable than the living room, but she decided to let it go. Launchpad was acting a bit weird.

Corrine smiled and rose with him to move to the kitchen. "No problem, I don't want to be a bother. Oh my gosh, I have to tell you about the weirdest thing that happened earlier tonight! I ran into Gizmoduck down at the Museum of Antiquities! He was with Darkwing Duck and we had a little encounter with some guy...Mega-something? I don't remember. Anyway, do you ever get to see much of Gizmoduck when he's in town?"

Gosalyn had stopped shoving food into her mouth and was now looking at Corrine with wide eyes, and Launchpad wasn't much better.

"You were there when Darkwing and Gizmoduck fought MEGAVOLT?" Gosalyn exclaimed, spitting little bits of curly fries all over herself.

"Yeah, so? That Megavolt guy was kind of lame, actually."

Gosalyn was dumbfounded.

"Uh, no," Launchpad said, changing the subject. "I don't see Gizmoduck very much. He and Darkwing go off and do their own thing a lot. Fenton comes and stays over sometimes, though! In fact, he's staying here this week!"

"I'll bet," Corrine remarked, then bit her lip.

"Yeah," Launchpad continued, "I'd say that you should stay until he gets back, because I know he'd love to see you, but he does his business at weird hours."

"Like your friend Drake, huh? So you should be used to it..." As the words left her mouth, a thought occurred to her. In fact, to be more precise, it struck her like a ton of bricks.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway to the kitchen, Corrine turned to Launchpad and said, "Wait, so you mean to tell me that Fenton always stays here when he's in town? Then goes disappearing off at weird hours and you have no idea what he does? And he's always gone around the same time as your friend Drake?"

Launchpad was looking a little uncomfortable as he replied, "I mean, yeah, Fenton always stays with us but he and Drake aren't necessarily hanging out together. They each have their own stuff going on."

"Yeah, I know exactly what kind of stuff Fenton has going on, so..." Corrine mumbled under her breath. Then she laughed awkwardly and looked at her wrist. "Oh, look at the time! I really must be going! It was so nice seeing you, Launchpad! Nice meeting you, Gosalyn! Bye!"

With that, Corrine practically bolted out the front door.

"That's funny," said Launchpad. "She wasn't even wearing a watch."

* * *

At the nearest payphone, Corrine plunked in some change and dialed 555-GZMO.

Darkwing and Gizmoduck had just arrived in Featherhaven when the sound of a phone ringing interrupted their sleuthing.

Shooting a glare at Gizmoduck, Darkwing muttered, "You should tell people not to bother you at work."

Ignoring him, Gizmoduck answered his elbow phone.

"Hey, it's me," came the female voice over the line.

"Is something wrong?" Gizmoduck asked, trying to turn away from a very obviously eavesdropping Darkwing.

"Yeah, something is kinda wrong. Where are you right now?"

"Featherhaven, following a lead."

"...And you're with Darkwing?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I have a feeling he'll be important later. Stay put, I'm going to meet you guys there."

"Corrine, don't you dare...!" But Gizmoduck's protests were cut off by the sound of the dial tone.

Gizmoduck guilty turned to Darkwing and said, "Hey, Wingy, you remember my friend Corrine from earlier?"

"She fell on me, how could I possibly forget?"

"She's coming here right now. She seems to think she's partially responsible for this whole diamond fiasco. Silly, huh?"

Darkwing's expression darkened as he said, "It's more than silly. It's incredibly dangerous. And just why would she think she has anything to do with this case?"

With a sigh, Gizmoduck said, "Sit down, Wingy, I have a story for you..."

* * *

Gizmoduck had finally finished his epic tale about the extraction of the yellow diamond (leaving out the parts about Fenton, of course) when Corrine finally showed up.

"Hey guys," she said, greeting them with a smile that bordered on creepy.

"What's with you?" Darkwing asked. "You look like the cat that swallowed the canary."

"Oh, nothing," Corrine answered, unconvincingly.

"Whatever, can we finally get this show on the road?" Barked the terror that flapped in the night.

There was no more discussion as they headed to the address Megavolt had given to Darkwing.

The building was huge. And old. It almost looked as if the rich community of Featherhaven had been built around the ancient stone structure.

In fact, the only thing missing was a flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder.

On the entire walk to the massive structure, Darkwing had tried to talk Corrine out of helping. It was too dangerous, she was just a waitress, and it was bad enough he had Gizmoduck tagging along without adding another flunky. At that point, Gizmoduck had told him to shut his oversized trap, and they had finished the journey in silence.

Now, standing at the bottom of a huge stone staircase carved into the base of the building, Corrine wished she hadn't talked herself into being brave. But if her hunch was right, the people in her life had been strung together in a web of fate that she had no right to dispute. That thought alone kept her moving forward.

They entered the building and expected the large wooden door to give away their position with the kind of loud screech one expected in old creepy buildings. They were surprised, however, when the door swung silently on its hinges.

The place was like a mausoleum. Paintings of historical figures lined each stone wall, and their eyes followed the movements of the living. A fire crackled and danced in a large fireplace at the far end of a palatial foyer, sending frightening shadows across the floor and walls. Tables and stands holding precious treasures littered every free corner. The mantle over the fireplace seemed to glitter with gold.

Standing in the middle of the room, two superheroes and a waitress who used to be a pilot found themselves subconsciously moving closer together.

"N-Now, there's nothing to be afraid of in here," Darkwing said, quietly. "It's just an old building. An old building with very bad lighting. I've been in really creepy houses with real ghouls and monsters, this one is nothing!"

"Somehow," said Corrine, "I am not feeling reassured."

* * *

The older duck grinned as he watched the three would-be detectives floundering around on his security camera.

"I knew that idiot Megavolt would lead them here," he said to no one in particular. "But who is this dark-haired woman? She is not the one I wanted!" He practically spat the last word and slammed a fist down on his large desk.

"No matter," he said, much more calmly. "Perhaps I can use her as leverage. She would be easier to capture than one of those misguided heroes, anyway. Then I will have everything I want."

He reached down and pulled an old faded photograph from the top drawer of his desk. Holding it close to his face in the dim candlelit office, he smiled wildly.

The photo was of a little red-haired girl with pigtails hugging an older overweight duck.

"Yes. One way or another, I will have you and the diamond, Gosalyn Waddlemeyer!"

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Look At Your Reflection Through My Eyes

**Edited 2/28/12**

* * *

Gosalyn Mallard couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Ever since that loony Corrine had taken off, Gosalyn had been feeling uneasy. The truth was, her dad hadn't come home from his latest case yet, and their friend Fenton hadn't shown up, either. Things were starting to come together for the teenager, and her impatience was once again about to win out over her dad's wishes.

The red-head silently crept from her bed to the large window on the far side of the room. Opening the window just enough, she nimbly climbed out and slid down the nearest drainpipe. Years of practice had made sneaking out almost boring.

Staying in the shadows, Gosalyn made her way next door and up to the bedroom window of her best friend, Honker Muddlefoot.

Tapping on the glass Gosalyn whispered, "Honk! Hey, Honk, wake up!"

Finally, her yellow-feathered friend opened up the window to allow her entry, while putting on his thick glasses.

"Gosalyn, what are you doing here?" He whispered, urgently. "It's three in the morning!"

"Yeah, but it's not a school night," Gosalyn blew him off easily.

Honker watched the girl who had been his best friend since she'd moved in next door four years prior, and she looked nervous.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, already knowing the answer. "Does it have to do with your dad?"

Gosalyn sighed. "You got me, Honk. He hasn't come home yet. He's been out since this morning getting ready for the transport of some big flashy diamond they found in the bay, and even though Gizmoduck is with him I just know he should have come home by now!"

She flailed her arms as she spoke, but stopped and seemed to consider something for a moment.

"And it's not just dad. Launchpad's friend Fenton is in town from Duckburg again...I mean, I guess he's our friend now, too...and he's been gone just as long."

Honker mulled over that for a bit and then said, "You think they're connected?"

The duckling nodded. "At this point, yeah. It's too weird. Actually, I never would have noticed if some old friend of Launchpad's hadn't stopped by today and mentioned it. She used to live in Duckburg, too. I think Launchpad should take us over there to visit sometime, apparently he used to have a lot going on!"

Honker inwardly cringed at the thought of what kind of trouble Gosalyn could probably get him into in Duckburg. She did a good enough job of it in St. Canard.

Coming back to the matter at hand, Honker said, "So, what did you wanna do about your dad?" He figured he probably already knew the answer to that, too.

"What else!" Gosalyn said a bit too loudly. "We're gonna go find him!"

* * *

"Don't touch anything!" Darkwing hissed at Corrine as she raised a white feathered hand to touch a jeweled vase on a high up shelf.

Jerking her hand back, Corrine tried not to look guilty. It was bad enough she was stuck in such a creepy place to begin with, without Darkwing Duck treating her like a little kid!

Shooting the masked mallard a glare, Corrine mumbled, "I'm not your daughter, you know."

"What was that?" asked Darkwing, absently.

"Nothing."

Gizmoduck soon joined them in the smallest of the chamber rooms they had searched since arriving, and he seemed just as annoyed as his cohorts.

"I'm not exactly sure what we're looking for, but all I've been able to find are a bunch of expensive baubles," said the hero with an annoyed look in Darkwing's general direction.

"Chill out, Gizeroo," Darkwing said, picking up a Fabergé egg and studying it through his magnifying glass. "You wanted to learn about detective work, so here we are! It can be kind of boring sometimes, but them's the breaks."

He placed the egg carefully back on its pedestal and turned to chastise Corrine again, since she was trying to pull a painting from the wall very indelicately. In doing so, his elbow hit the pedestal which held the expensive egg. Instead of tipping over, Darkwing was surprised when it made a soft clicking sound and the stone wall behind them slid to one side, revealing a dark passageway.

"Er, I meant to do that." Darkwing said with a chuckle. Corrine and Gizmoduck looked at each other, shrugged, and followed Darkwing as he led the way through the passageway.

Dark was an understatement. It was darker than the blackest pitch, and deeper than the deepest night. As they seemed to walk deeper and deeper into the bowels of the huge building, Corrine couldn't help but feel very damn nervous.

"I have a bad feeling about this," she muttered, and Darkwing shushed her.

"You know," Corrine continued, ignoring the masked duck, "We could be walking into some kind of trap. I know this from experience. In fact, come to think of it, this is eerily familiar."

She heard Gizmoduck pause in his descent, and she too stopped and turned to him.

"You're right," the metal-clad hero said, sounding like Fenton.

Darkwing finally stopped and doubled back to them. "What are you two doing?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"It's just like before," Gizmoduck continued, though back to sounding like his hero persona. "Me and you," he indicated Corrine with a nod, "following someone into a trap."

"You guys are real defeatists, you know that?" said Darkwing. "If you're just going to whine and be pessimistic, you can both go back and I'll handle this myself."

"No," Corrine said, steeling herself. "I won't let you do this alone. This wasn't even your problem."

"And it's not yours, either!" snapped Darkwing. "I understand that you have some sort of personal vendetta, but you'll just get yourself killed!"

"You do keep saying that, Mr. Sunshine," Corrine said, glaring at the duck. "But I'll have you know that I've been in some tight spots before and come out all right. Maybe a little emotionally deficient, but otherwise none the worse for wear!"

Gizmoduck made a snorting sound in the back of his throat, and Corrine spun around to glare at him. He looked away, nonchalantly.

"Suit yourself," the hero said, turning away from her with a flutter of his cape. "But don't expect me to save you if something happens."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Corrine replied through gritted teeth.

Finally, after what felt like an hour of walking, Darkwing stopped abruptly and Corrine nearly ran right into him.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"A door," said Darkwing, just as quietly.

"Be careful," Corrine hissed as Darkwing reached for the knob.

The door opened upon a large office filled with unique artifacts. Masks, paintings and tapestries covered every inch of the stone walls. The room was dimply lit by dozens of oversized candles, and the trio saw themselves on a security monitor hanging in one corner.

"Uh oh," escaped Darkwing's beak as the door slammed shut behind them.

* * *

"I can't believe you got me to go to Featherhaven at four in the morning," Honker muttered with a healthy dose of awe and disbelief.

"Aw, come on, you weren't doing anything else important!"

"Yeah, only sleeping."

They climbed off the bike Gosalyn had pedaled from her home all the way to Featherhaven. Honker noticed that she seemed a bit tired and out of breath, which was unusual for the athletic girl. Then again, it had been a pretty long haul.

"Wow, is this place creeptastic or what?" Gosalyn exclaimed, taking in the sight of the enormous stone building in the center of Featherhaven. "This building would give any of Morgana's a run for their money!"

"I don't like this, Gos," Honker tried once more to be the voice of reason. "Even if your dad did come here, it doesn't mean he's in any kind of trouble. Some of his cases take a little longer..."

"No," Gosalyn interrupted her friend, still gazing up at the old building. "This feels different. I feel like I'm supposed to be here."

Honker studied his friend as if seeing her for the first time. Gosalyn had never waxed philosophical before, in all the years he'd known her. Something in the air did feel different, and Honker didn't like it. If things couldn't be decided with science, logic and reason, it made him feel very uncomfortable. This was one of the few times he simply didn't have a logical answer to offer. He watched as Gosalyn slowed ascended the stone staircase inlaid into the front of the huge house or whatever it was.

Snapping out of his reverie, Honker bounded after her.

* * *

"Good evening, young duckies."

Sure enough, the duck that stood before them was very plain and probably in his fifties. What Darkwing and Corrine neglected to notice was the look of horror that spread across Gizmoduck's face upon seeing him.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the old duck said, living up to the villain cliché. "My name is Rodimus Crackshell, and this is my humble home, office and research facility."

"Crackshell!" Corrine and Darkwing both yelled, simultaneously.

Corrine turned to stare at Gizmoduck and finally noticed how his beak seemed locked in an expression of disbelief and confusion.

Darkwing didn't turn to look at Gizmoduck, which Corrine found odd. Shouldn't he be concerned that they were standing before a relative of his friend and crime fighting partner?

"By your reactions, I assume you must know my bumbling son, Fenton," the duck went on. "I left him and his useless mother when he was only about four years old. Over the past few years I've seen mentions of him in passing, since he got a job working for that old fool, Scrooge McDuck."

Corrine was suddenly fueled by righteous anger. No matter what had happened between her and Fenton, he was a good guy and shouldn't be insulted by his own father! Especially not to his face! Not that his father knew his face was even in the same room with them at that moment, but still!

"You just hold on, pal!" Corrine yelled, angrily. "Fenton does not bumble! How could you say that about your own son? And why are you trying to steal that big yellow diamond?"

Rodimus Crackshell considered Corrine for a moment before finally smiling and answering her queries.

"If you think Fenton will ever amount to anything, you obviously have more faith in him than I ever did. As for the diamond, I was just getting to that!"

Rodimus walked around behind his large desk and pushed a button, releasing a vice from the wall Corrine was standing closest to. The vice grabbed her by the arms and painfully forced them against her sides.

"Hey!" She cried out in surprise. Her sentiment was soon echoed by Darkwing. Gizmoduck still stood silently, looking like someone had just run over his puppy. Which, in essence, wasn't that far from the truth.

"The truth is, the diamond is one of the reasons I left my wife and son all those years ago. I'm a fairly successful archaeologist, you see, and one day a couple decades ago I was in Columbia when I came across the story of Queen Esperanza. She was only thirteen years old when she took to the throne, and fourteen when she died of mysterious causes. I unearthed a bust of Esperanza, and as I looked into her face I was struck by my purpose in life. You see, the story I had heard in a very ancient village was one of reincarnation, and a curse surrounding a certain yellow diamond. It had been the Queen's most prized possession, and as such it was placed under a powerful spell. They say she'd known her life was in danger, so the spell on the diamond states that anyone who possesses it for any other reason than to revive the Queen will go mad. However, if the one to possess it has every intention of performing the Ceremony for Reincarnation, he would not be overcome with madness and the diamond would be used in the ceremony to bond the Queen's soul to that of a living girl. I knew then that it was my destiny to revive Queen Esperanza. Then she and I will be together, now and forever, and we will create a utopia."

Darkwing and Corrine now shared the same expression as Gizmoduck. They were horrified and more than a little frightened of the madman.

"The best part is, now that you three are here, you've saved me a lot of trouble! I still need to liberate the diamond, and I need the girl who will be used in the sacrifice to revive the Queen. All of which you can provide me!"

"And just what makes you think we'd help you with any of this, you crackpot Crackshell?" Darkwing hissed.

Still smiling, Rodimus removed something from his desk drawer. As he brought it into the light, the trio saw that it was a very long, ornate knife. The handle looked to be silver, encrusted with gold vines. The blade itself had to have been at least a foot long.

Rodimus slowly walked over to Corrine and held the blade close to the throat of the captive girl. Darkwing made a move to stop him, but the elder Crackshell quickly sliced the blade against the side of Corrine's neck. As Darkwing and Gizmoduck watched in horror, a thin trail of blood began to seep from the wound. It took it a while to pool to the top of the wound, which indicated that it was fairly deep, and then it started to run down her neck to her shoulder where it disappeared underneath her shirt. A dark red stain soon began to form under the garment.

Corrine was at a loss for words, which was unusual for her. The wound didn't hurt much, in fact it had happened so quickly she barely felt anything at all. But she saw that Gizmoduck had finally been snapped out of his coma.

"If you don't bring the diamond to me within the next two hours, this young woman's life will be forfeit. But I really must thank you, Mr. Darkwing, for so kindly providing me with my sacrifice."

Darkwing looked confused and sputtered, "What are you talking about, you basically just said if we bring the diamond you'll let Corrine go, right?"

"I wasn't talking about her," Rodimus said, finally stepping away from Corrine. Gizmoduck slowly wheeled over to her, and Rodimus made no move to stop him.

A small first aid kit popped out of the Gizmosuit and he applied some ointment and a bandage to Corrine's wound. Due to their close proximity, Corrine whispered to him, "What are you going to do?"

Fenton didn't answer, but turned away from the girl he had once loved to face the father he had once loved.

"You see, _Darkwing_, about four years ago I read an interesting article about a little girl who had been saved from a criminal plot by St. Canard's own vigilante hero. That was all well and good, but when I saw a picture of the little girl I knew it was finally time to embrace my destiny! The girl, then called Gosalyn Waddlemeyer, looked exactly like Queen Esperanza. Right down to the red hair. You see, Queen Esperanza had some Irish in her gene pool, which was quite unusual but added to her elevated status. While most everyone else in her country had dark hair, she stood apart as a goddess! I knew I had to be patient, since the Waddlemeyer girl was only nine years old then. Luckily for me, she was an orphan and it was easy enough to get my hands on her. The St. Canard orphanage is not known for its security measures. Or background checks. Isn't that right, _Darkwing_?"

Corrine was beginning to piece things together, and she didn't like where this was going. Gosalyn Waddlemeyer was obviously the same Gosalyn she had met earlier that evening. The one living with Launchpad and her father. Her _adopted _father, Corrine was now understanding. The father she had deduced was...

"_Darkwing_," Rodimus went on, and everyone in the room noticed the strange emphasis he kept putting on the duck's name. "Can you possibly imagine my disappointment when I finally got to the orphanage and discovered the girl had been abruptly adopted soon after her dramatic rescue? The record of adoptions are not public knowledge, of course, but it took very little of my many resources to learn who had adopted her."

Darkwing stiffened.

"So I have watched and bided my time. The girl seems to have a very unhealthy obsession with you, _Darkwing_. I have often seen her in the background of your news reels, and heard that she founded a fan club for you. How quaint. And how odd that her adopted father allows such behavior, wouldn't you say? Running around with masked superheroes doesn't seem like a normal after school activity."

Darkwing said nothing, but Corrine could tell he was gritting his teeth. If looks could kill, Rodimus would probably be on fire.

Rodimus then turned to the security monitor hanging in the corner of the room. The same one they had seen themselves reflected on in the doorway.

Now it showed a shot of the front door and foyer. The door was slowly opening, and Corrine's beak dropped in horror as a little tuft of red hair came into view. She looked over at Darkwing and saw that his expression had turned from homicidal to abject terror.

Gosalyn Mallard entered the foyer of the ancient stone building, followed by a young male duck Corrine didn't recognize. Darkwing, however, didn't seem surprised to see him.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone's heads whipped around as Gizmoduck spoke for the first time since entering the office.

"That's Gosalyn Mallard and her friend, Honker. What the hell do they have to do with all this?"

"How do you know their names?" snapped Darkwing. "You may have seen Gosalyn a couple times, but you've never met Honker!"

"Because I happen to know Gosalyn's dad, that's all! He's friends with my old co-worker from Duckburg!"

Corrine resisted the urge to laugh hysterically. Because she had been wrong. Oh, she'd been right in thinking that Darkwing Duck was really Gosalyn's dad and Launchpad's housemate, Drake. But she had come to that conclusion because Fenton was staying with them, and she knew Fenton was Gizmoduck. But now it was beginning to look like Drake and Fenton had no idea about the other's secret identity! And yet here they all were, about to find out because Fenton's dad had gone insane over twenty years ago.

It all seemed pretty ridiculous, actually.

"And how exactly do you know Gosalyn's dad?" Darkwing was snapping at Gizmoduck. "Because I know him too, and I'm pretty damn sure he's never met you!"

"Are you calling me a liar?" Gizmoduck snapped back, starting to sound legitimately angry. Corrine had never heard him sound like that before, but emotions were running high.

So she made an executive decision.

"Hey, guys," she called from her little contraption against the wall.

The two heroes stopped and turned to her.

"What's wrong?" asked Gizmoduck, his tone becoming gentle again. "Is that device hurting you? I swear I'll make him..."

"No, it's not that," Corrine interrupted. "I think you need to face up, Fenton."

The room suddenly became silent as a tomb. Not only could you have heard a pin drop, you could have heard a microscopic pin drop.

"What...did you just call him?" Darkwing asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Corrine did not repeat herself, but held her gaze with Gizmoduck. The two looked at each other for a very long time, as if having an argument no one else could hear. Darkwing had been wondering about the _real_ relationship between the woman and his sometimes-partner since first laying eyes on Corrine, but he had filed it away for later, when their lives weren't in danger or some such thing. Gizmoduck's story about the excavation of the diamond hadn't even included any particular details about Corrine, other than the fact she had piloted the plane.

But as he watched them now, their closeness was obvious. They seemed to be communicating without words, as if it were totally natural.

Finally, Gizmoduck turned away from her and faced Rodimus, who was actually looking surprised for the first time since their arrival.

As everyone watched, Gizmoduck slowly reached up and pulled the helmet of his Gizmosuit off his head.

Darkwing and Rodimus both gasped. Corrine gave a small encouraging smile that Fenton did not see.

"Hi, Pop," Fenton said, anger making his words icy.

Darkwing began stuttering to himself, "It can't be. Fenton Crackshell is...is..."

"I should have known," Rodimus said, facing away from the trio and back toward his security monitor. "Yes, it all makes sense. Gizmoduck appeared shortly after you started working for Scrooge McDuck. What seemed to be merely a coincidence..." His voice trailed off.

"But Fenton is a nincompoop!" Darkwing suddenly said, then bit his lower lip in embarrassment.

"And how would you know, buster?" Fenton practically snarled at the masked duck. "I've never met you before in my life!"

At that, Rodimus began laughing madly. "Are you sure, son? You seem to know an awful lot about his daughter."

"His..." Fenton was at a loss for words. Then, suddenly, everything made sense.

Fenton spun to face Darkwing and whispered, "...Drakerooni?"

Darkwing crossed his arms over his chest and hissed, "I told you not to call me that!"

Corrine let out a small sigh of relief.

Rodimus began cackling madly.

"The beauty of this situation is beyond words! My own do-gooder son can fetch me the diamond to save the life of this innocent young woman, while his misguided masked friend led his daughter right to me to be sacrificed to Queen Esperanza! This couldn't possibly be more perfect!"

Fenton and Corrine both turned to look at Darkwing, who had completely deflated.

In that moment, Corrine knew more about Darkwing Duck and Drake Mallard than she ever would have imagined. Behind the egotistical showboating loud-mouth was a man who loved his daughter. He had rescued her and adopted her. She remembered the portrait in the house on Avian Way and had never once questioned that Drake and Gosalyn were blood relatives.

Corrine fought back the tears that suddenly sprung to her eyes and tried to devise a way to escape. Like hell she was going to be used as bait while anyone was sacrificed!

But then on the security monitor they saw Gosalyn raise her hands to her beak and call out, "Dad? Daaaaaad?"

And they all knew it was too late.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Find a Way Past the Same Old Pain

_Hi, guys! Here is the next chapter, finally! I've been working on it all night, and it's now 12:30 a.m. my time! So I apologize for any typos, as usual! And exclamation points!  
_

_I AM SO EXCITED! Today I found out there is going to be a new Darkwing Duck comic miniseries starting in June! New updated storyline, new stuff going on with our heroes and villains...I'm beyond thrilled!_

_Enjoy, read and review, etc!_

_

* * *

_

"_I've finally realized that's the way things are_

_I got the bleeding stopped but there's gonna be a scar_

_I know I'll go on living but you're always gonna be around_

_Deep down..."_

-Deep Down, Pam Tillis

* * *

A distinct sense of foreboding assaulted Gosalyn as she opened the huge anterior door of the stone building.

She and Honker made their way around the large foyer and then to a fireplace on the opposite side of the room. As they took in the old paintings and priceless artifacts situated all around them, they certainly weren't prepared for the floor beneath their feet to open up and swallow them into darkness.

They fell for what felt like a lifetime but was probably only 15 or 20 seconds.

When they finally stopped falling they found themselves on a stone floor in a dimly lit room. The ducklings were equally perplexed when they looked up and saw Darkwing and Gizmoduck staring at them with their beaks hanging open. Gosalyn also recognized Corrine imprisoned at the back of the room.

No one spoke. Gosalyn didn't even make a move to stand.

"Welcome, Your Majesty," Rodimus Crackshell finally said, stepping around his desk to approach Gosalyn. In his hand was a derringer pistol, which he held casually but certainly had every intention of using if the situation turned ugly.

Darkwing's expression became one of fury as the madman closed in on his daughter. Still, he held himself back. The gun in Crackshell's hand dictated as much.

Gosalyn finally stood, though backed away from Rodimus as much as she could. Her back was flush to the wall as she eyed the old duck warily. Rodimus paused in his approach and smiled at her.

"You really are the spitting image," he said, but made no further explanation to the girl.

Honker didn't like the way the crazy old duck was looking at Gosalyn and slowly rose to place himself carefully by her side. The move was not lost on Darkwing, who sent silent thanks.

Fenton had placed his helmet back on his head and Corrine could see the fingers of his right hand twitching. He was no doubt ready to lay waste to his own father if he so much as touched Gosalyn, but the gun Rodimus held put all the other adults in the room at a major disadvantage.

Corrine took a moment to survey the device that held her to the wall. She knew without a doubt that Fenton would bring the diamond to his father as long as she was a bargaining chip, but the longer they could keep Rodimus from the diamond the more time they had to save Gosalyn.

Corrine quietly began moving her arms from side to side in hopes of dislodging them from the vice-like contraption.

Rodimus was now reaching out to stroke Gosalyn along the underside of her beak.

Darkwing looked to be reaching inside his jacket, and Corrine could only imagine he had some sort of weapon on him...but to pull it on Rodimus could mean a death sentence for Gosalyn or her friend. Most likely her friend, since Rodimus would hardly kill Gosalyn unless he had absolutely no choice.

Finally, Corrine wiggled free from the device and stood still, barely daring to breathe. Darkwing's hand was completely inside his jacket and he seemed to be waiting for an opening to attack the man boldly touching the face of his terrified daughter.

Corrine knew she had to make a decision before Darkwing got himself or one of the children killed.

As Darkwing seemed about to make a move, Corrine made a break for it.

She tried to ignore the sound of a chamber being loaded. Behind her, Rodimus was raising the derringer and aiming it toward the set of stairs that Corrine was desperately trying to reach.

Flinging the door to the staircase open, Corrine bolted. A million thoughts ran through her mind, like whether or not she should go get Launchpad to help, or call the police, or even call Mr. McDuck. All she knew for certain was that things had gotten too far out of hand for her to be of any help. She had just been deluding herself into thinking she could be of any use to anyone.

Before she was four whole steps into the darkness of the staircase, a shot rang out.

Corrine instinctively tensed, waiting for pain in some part of her body. The pain never came, so she dared to pause and turn around to see why.

Darkwing Duck was kneeling on the bottom step, slumped over and clutching his left shoulder. Corrine gasped as the reality of the situation hit home.

He had protected her.

Corrine was dumbfounded. After all the cracks at her, telling her she was just in the way and saying how he wouldn't help her if she got into trouble, he had done the unthinkable and taken a bullet for her.

She only had a split second to come to a decision as Rodimus Crackshell loaded another round.

"Come on!" She shouted, unable to control the tension in her voice. She grabbed Darkwing by his good arm and slung it over her own shoulders. Helping him up, she began to half-drag him up the stairs.

"Let me go," he ordered, though there was very little conviction in his words. "I won't leave Gosalyn."

"You're no use to anyone if you pass out from blood loss," Corrine snapped back at him.

Apparently, the masked mallard had no good comeback for that little bit of logic.

They ascended the staircase in silence, and made it out to Corrine's car with very little fuss, although Darkwing's movements were becoming more sluggish.

"I have to get you to the hospital," Corrine said, loading Darkwing into the back seat of her small car.

"No hospitals," he said, trying to put as much force behind the words as he could muster. "They have to report gunshot wounds to the police. I avoid the SCPD as much as I can these days. We don't always see eye to eye."

"I can't imagine why," Corrine quipped as she started the engine.

"Where to, then?" Corrine finally asked as they pulled out onto the main highway.

There was a brief pause before Darkwing answered.

"Home," he said. "Take me home."

* * *

Launchpad McQuack was not always the sharpest tack in the box, but the dumbfounded expression on his face when he opened his front door and saw Corrine hastily brush past him, dragging a practically unconscious and still costumed Darkwing Duck with her, definitely took the cake.

Closing the door, Launchpad slowly turned and watched as Corrine gently lay Darkwing on the sofa, then went to close the living room curtains.

"Um," Darkwing's sidekick finally managed to say, "What's going on here?"

"Help me get him to bed," Corrine said, not looking at Launchpad. "He's just dead weight now and I can't lift him."

"Corrine..."

"Launchpad, please!" Corrine finally looked up at her old acquaintance with an expression that took his breath away. Her face was red and tears flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks. She looked like she was in agony, and Launchpad dared not ask why. At least, not yet.

"Sure thing," the pilot finally said, walking over and hefting his best friend into his arms. Darkwing was completely unconscious but was thankfully still breathing. Launchpad slowly ascended the stairs to Drake's room.

Corrine didn't follow the two men. Instead, she flopped down on the sofa and tried to get herself under control. She tried to ignore the blood stain that had already saturated the cushion where Darkwing had lain.

It was all her fault that Darkwing had been injured, and she hated herself for it. In a moment of absolute self-loathing, Corrine could do nothing but place her face in her hands and cry. She had hurt Fenton, screwed up her whole life, given up her dreams, and was now responsible for someone nearly _dying _for her. She had gotten in way over her head, again. Except this time the consequences had been far more dire.

But...

It was all because of that damned diamond. It had started there, and by God it would end there.

With a suddenness that surprised even her, Corrine stopped crying and looked up. Staring straight ahead at a blank television set, she knew what she had to do.

The diamond had to be destroyed. Queen Esperanza had to be put to rest.

Then, finally, she could get back to her life.

* * *

Launchpad slowly crept downstairs about an hour later, and saw Corrine sitting still as a corpse on the sofa.

"Hey," he said, walking over and sitting down next to her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Corrine took a shaky breath and replied, "Not really. How is he?"

"Awake," Launchpad said, then looked at her questioningly. "And he's asking for you."

Corrine simply nodded and made her way upstairs.

It hadn't occurred to her that Drake Mallard would seem any different than Darkwing Duck...but as Corrine entered his large bedroom and saw the tired-looking duck laying in bed, she was actually taken by surprise.

Drake was younger than she would have thought, but the dark circles under his eyes belied a hard life, or perhaps a mallard who had seen things he would have rather not seen.

He was shirtless but had bandages wrapped around his entire upper torso and shoulder. Blood had already stained the front of the bandages where Corrine assumed the bullet wound was.

He was watching her as she entered, so she steeled herself and approached the side of the bed.

"Let me take a look at this," Corrine said before he could speak. She lifted the blood-stained bandage at his shoulder and he let out a pained hiss.

The bullet had gone all the way through, but Corrine frowned at the discoloration around the wound. She was also concerned that the bleeding hadn't stopped.

"Looks like you have a little infection," she finally stated, then began changing the bandages without a word.

"Corrine," Drake finally said, reaching up and grabbing her arm. He winced a bit, but otherwise held fast. "I want you to go home and forget any of this ever happened."

Ignoring him, Corrine shook him off and continued fussing over his bandages. "Actually, this wound looks pretty angry. I should go get some antibiotic ointment or something for it, where's the bathroo-?"

She was cut off as Drake pulled her forward and kissed her.

Corrine's eyes widened in stupefied shock before she regained her composure enough to push herself away.

Stumbling backwards, she stumbled over the nightstand and landed soundly on her rear end.

Corrine stared up at Drake with her beak handing open. He was looking back at her, rather sheepishly .

"The HELL?" Corrine finally exclaimed from her place on the floor. "You had better be delusional from blood loss right now!"

"I may be, actually," Drake said, flopping back on his pillow. "But I've wanted to kiss you since yesterday. You know, you're awfully cute in your waitress outfit."

"Now I KNOW you've lost your mind," Corrine said, standing up and brushing herself off. "You've known me for all of one day, and you've kind of been an ass to me the entire time. If that's how you treat girls you find cute, it's no wonder you're single."

She had meant it as a joke, but Drake's expression actually became crestfallen.

"Um...sorry," she said, hastily. "Anyway, don't think trying to distract me with kisses or whatever is going to make me turn tail and run home!"

"Blast," he said, sarcastically. "I was hoping to scare you away."

Corrine couldn't help but smile. That was the guy she was used to.

"Look, I appreciate your concern," she said, approaching the bed once more. "But I have a very personal investment in the destruction of that diamond. Like my livelihood. Plus, I'm going to help you get Gosalyn back. And Fenton...well...I owe him a lot, too."

As she spoke, she threw another soiled bandage into the trash. "Damn it, why won't this bleeding stop? I'm starting to get worried...you know maybe you should let me take you to the hospital to get stitches and some antibiotics."

"I said no, and I meant it," Drake said, and his expression left no room for argument.

A moment later his expression softened and he asked the question that had been bothering him from the beginning.

"What is with you and Giz, anyway?"

"Oh, that," Corrine said, not looking at him. "He and I dated when I lived in Duckburg. It was years ago. I mean, we were pretty serious. We had only been together for a few months, but I swear I would have married him if he'd..."

She trailed off, and Drake didn't push her. Finally, after taping down another new bandage, she continued.

"...Well, anyway, things didn't work out. I blame myself, mostly. I wasn't too keen on the whole superhero thing. I would have been perfectly happy if he was just an accountant. Accountants don't usually get killed by bad guys."

"Oh," Drake finally said with a joking tone. "So I guess my chances are pretty slim, huh?"

That comment finally made Corrine look him in the eyes and she smiled as she answered. "Yes, quite. I don't think I could deal with always having to steam clean blood off the furniture."

"Such is my lot in life," Drake said with a melodramatic sigh.

Corrine gave a small laugh. "Anyway, your secret is safe with me. Obviously. There, finally got the bleeding stopped!"

She backed away from the bed, triumphantly.

"Yeah," Drake said with a far-away look in his eyes, "But there's probably gonna be a scar."

Corrine smiled. "Isn't that always the way? But, you know, scar tissue actually makes the area stronger. It's like they say, 'The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.'"

Drake turned his head to look at the young woman standing in his bedroom covered in his blood and finished the quote.

"But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry."

Corrine had no response to that.

Finally, she cleared her throat and said, "You should get some sleep. I'm inviting myself to stay the night, so I'll be downstairs."

"That's fine," Drake said with a yawn.

With that, she flounced out of the room.

Drake watched her go and hoped the world would not break her.

* * *

"It doesn't matter if your little friends got away. I'm sure they will come back and annoy me like gnats at a later time, but for now I still have our precious ducklings here and they're just DYING to see that diamond. Aren't you, children?"

Rodimus Crackshell was back behind his desk, twirling his derringer around his index finger as if it was no big deal that he'd just shot Darkwing Duck.

Gosalyn was in tears and Honker was seething. He had his arms around Gosalyn and answered Rodimus with a glare.

Gizmoduck had his jaw set and knew he would do whatever Rodimus wanted as long as he had the children.

But at least Darkwing and Corrine had gotten away. Hopefully Darkwing wasn't terribly injured, and they could bring reinforcements.

"I'll be back with the diamond in a little while," Gizmoduck said through gritted teeth. "If you so much as displace a feather on either of those children, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

"Very good, son! See you soon!" Rodimus said as if Gizmoduck hadn't just threatened his life.

With that, Gizmoduck exited the room with one last look at the children. Honker nodded at the hero and held Gosalyn closer.

Gosalyn was aware of what was going on around her, but after seeing her dad get shot she had lost it for a little while.

But now her knew she and Honker were alone in a room with a madman, and she had to get herself under control.

"Thanks, Honk," she said quietly, scooting away from him a bit. "I'm over the whole wilting violet routine. Now back to business."

Honker smiled in relief. He wasn't used to seeing his friend so upset, but he knew she was no damsel in distress.

"I don't want my dad coming back if he's already hurt, so we're busting out of here."

"Gos, I'm sure Gizmoduck has a plan..."

"Nah, I'm not counting on him," Gosalyn interrupted. "He's nice and everything, but we can take care of this whackadoodle ourselves."

"What do you have in mind?" Honker asked, leaning in closer to whisper to Gosalyn.

Gosalyn grinned. "It goes like this..."

* * *

It was about 7 in the morning when Gizmoduck arrived at the museum, so he had an hour to lift the diamond and get out before the place opened.

As he let himself in the back and approached the display case where the diamond had once sat, he was surprised to see it missing.

"Looking for this?" came a voice that surprised him.

He turned around and saw Corrine standing at the back of the room, hip cocked to one side and holding the diamond in one hand.

"Corrine? What are you doing here?" Fenton was much too tired and drained to deal with Corrine at the moment, and his annoyance showed.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, and Fenton didn't like the edge to her voice.

"Give me the diamond. He's waiting and he has a gun aimed at the kids."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Corrine said, lowering the diamond, "Drake is coming up with a plan as we speak, and I can't let you take this to your father."

"Oh, so you two are on a first name basis now?" Fenton snapped, sounding harsher than he had intended.

Ignoring that remark, Corrine repeated, "I can't let you take the diamond."

"And since when have you been such a champion of justice?" Fenton said, rolling over to Corrine and raising the goggles on his helmet so he could look her in the eyes.

"Since now," she answered, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Well, then," he said. "I guess we're at an impasse."

"Come with me," Corrine ordered, leaving no room for argument. "We have to meet everyone at Darkwing Tower."

"And now you're down with the hideout lingo. You know, you're a real piece of work...wait, did you say _everyone?_"

"Yep," Corrine said, already halfway out of the room.

Gizmoduck had no choice but to follow her.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	5. They've a Million Ways to Kill You

"_One mistake's all it takes_

_And your life has come undone_

_Walk away 'cause you're breaking up the girl..."_

-Breaking Up the Girl, Garbage

* * *

"Stop fussing, Launchpad!" Darkwing snapped at his friend, who had just asked him if he needed to sit down for the hundredth time.

"Sorry, DW," Launchpad said, not sounding very sorry at all. "But you just got shot a few hours ago and then didn't even get a full night's sleep. You should really take better care of yourself. I'm sure Corrine would agree with me."

"She's not my nurse maid either, last I checked!" Darkwing bellowed, then bit his bottom lip. "Sorry, LP. I'm just a little stressed out right now."

His sidekick smiled and nodded, but said nothing. He was used to the hero's tantrums, as it were.

Darkwing's nerves were also no doubt on the frazzled side due to the fact he'd called in some favors and asked for help from his former girlfriend, Morgana McCawber. Their parting hadn't been on the best terms, but they still cared for each other enough, and Morgana cared for Gosalyn enough, that they could put their differences aside and work together if the situation called for it.

When Darkwing had informed the sorceress of Gosalyn and Honker's kidnapping, she had been furious and more than happy to lend a hand. Not to mention the paranormal undertones of the case at hand made her a prime candidate to go to for consultation.

She had yet to arrive, though, and it put Darkwing on edge. They hadn't seen each other in a few months, after all.

Finally, Corrine decided to show up with the diamond and Gizmoduck in tow.

"I was right, he was going for the diamond!" Corrine said with a grin, holding up her prize.

Gizmoduck frowned and said, "I don't appreciate being bamboozled. It seems to me we're wasting time here and putting Gosalyn and Honker in danger."

"Look, Giz," Darkwing said, trying to remain patient. "You _know _I would do anything to protect Gosalyn. She's my weakness, and that's not a secret anymore. But right now we also have to think about protecting the safety of everyone in the world. If your delusional dad is right about that diamond and it can do what he says it can do, then we'll have bigger problems than some kidnapped ducklings. Besides, right now they're safe enough because Rodimus needs them alive."

Gizmoduck clenched his jaw but said nothing.

"You know I'm right," Darkwing continued, walking over to the cybernetic hero and placing a hand on his shoulder. He lowered his voice and said, "Even if one of the kids is my own, I can't let my own selfish desires outweigh the fate of the whole world. Right?"

"But you don't even know if this diamond story is the real deal!" Gizmoduck argued.

"It is," came a new feminine voice from the Tower entranceway.

Everyone looked up to see the tall vision that was Morgana McCawber standing in a doorway, looking a bit nervous. Hovering over her shoulders were two of her familiars, the bats Eek and Squeek. Her spider, Archie, poked out from his spot inside her rather impressive hair-do.

Corrine was speechless. She had known that Darkwing called in help from an "old friend" with "expertise in the occult," but Morgana wasn't anything like she had expected.

Morgana McCawber was beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that Corrine immediately felt like a hag in her presence. Morgana was otherwordly, curvaceous, and had feathers so pale white she nearly glowed.

The tall, slender duck entered the room and looked at the much shorter woman in concentration. Corrine wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.

"Morgana!" Gizmoduck said, jubilantly. "So nice to see you again! Sorry it's under these circumstances, of course."

"Nice to see you, too," she said with a smile.

"Wingy, I should have known you'd call in Morgana for this one. It makes perfect sense. Although I'm surprised she wasn't one of the first to find out about Gosalyn since you all are so close."

Corrine's gossip alarm started going off at that remark. She had hung out with her old friend, Gertrude, enough times to know when she was about to be privy to something interesting.

"Oh, it's not like that with us...anymore," Morgana said, somewhat awkwardly. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Darkwing.

"Yeah, Giz," Darkwing seemed to come to Morgana's rescue. "Morgana and I actually haven't seen each other in three or four months. But when I told her about Gosalyn and the diamond, she was very concerned."

The two finally looked at each other, and Corrine saw the connection they had. When their eyes locked, it was as if they had known each other for several lifetimes. The electricity between them was tangible. Corrine's heart sank, and she couldn't quite figure out why.

What the hell had Drake done to screw things up with this woman? Corrine couldn't help but wonder. He'd been overall very kind and considerate with her, ego and teasing notwithstanding. Their camaraderie had become natural and Corrine was beginning to see there was more depth behind the hero than she ever would have thought possible. But he had obviously once been with Morgana...

Corrine shook her head to clear the errant thoughts that seemed to want to muddle her thinking and brought her concentration back to the matter at hand.

"The story of Queen Esperanza is true," Morgana was saying. "My people have always known it, because it is so unusual for a Normal to be able to cast such a powerful spell. Her rage and hatred must have been very strong when she was in the throes of death. I can only imagine how her soul has darkened, waiting inside that diamond for the last century. Most Normals don't realize this, but many of you are born with certain abilities. They're just so deeply buried that few of you are ever able to live up to your true potential. My people, on the other hand, are born with our powers functioning at full capacity. We are aware of them, possibly because we embrace a world of magic and therefore don't bury our heads in the sand when things can't be explained with facts or science."

As she spoke the last sentence, she shot a momentarily disdainful glance at Darkwing before regaining her composure. Understanding suddenly struck Corrine. Darkwing Duck functioned in a world full of case files and chemistry sets. Morgana functioned in a world full of magic; a world that didn't care much for the problems of Normals. And the two were unable to meet in the middle.

"So, basically," she continued, "We have to keep this madman away from the diamond. He should have in his possession a special ceremonial knife that needs to be plunged through the heart of his sacrifice, and at the time of that person's death, Esperanza's soul would adhere to the body and she would rise again. I'm not sure I fully understand his obsession with Gosalyn, because any female would do. To be honest, even a male would work. As long as there is a death caused by the enchanted blade, the soul sealed in the diamond will know who to possess."

"It's because he thinks Gosalyn looks like her," Corrine piped up, speaking for the first time since Morgana's arrival.

"I'm sorry," Morgana said, "I don't believe we've met?"

Corrine held out a hand. "My name is Corrine QuackIntyre. I'm an unfortunate victim of fate, here to help get rid of the diamond. Nice to meet you!"

Morgana seemed to float over to Corrine to shake her hand.

"Likewise, Corrine. My name is Morgana McCawber." As she introduced herself, she gave Corrine the oddest look. Corrine had to put some effort into not fidgeting. Then a big fuzzy spider growled at her, and she jerked her hand away.

"Now Archie, that wasn't very nice," Morgana chided her familiar, but with very little conviction.

She turned her back to Corrine and floated back over to where Darkwing was standing.

"Dark," she said, addressing the hero with the familiar pet name she had given him years ago, "I have to go back home and make some preparations. I'll contact you again once I'm done."

With that, and without so much as a look back over her shoulder at the other ducks in the room, Morgana made her exit.

Darkwing watched her leave with an expression that wasn't hard to discern.

Corrine frowned.

Stupid Drake. Stupid kiss.

* * *

"I don't like that you called Gosalyn your weakness."

Darkwing looked up from a book on ancient South American myths and legends and regarded Corrine with curiosity.

She had stayed late at Darkwing Tower, determined to help in any way she could. Luckily, she loved to read, so Darkwing had put her to work going through various tomes for any clues about the origins of the spell, or how to break it if they failed.

Launchpad had made an offhand comment that he hadn't seen Fenton in a while and was getting worried, which prompted Gizmoduck to say he just remembered he had a roast in the oven and abruptly took off.

Corrine assumed Fenton had decided to keep Launchpad in the dark for now when it came to the whole secret identity situation. It couldn't be easy, after all. No wonder he had been so happy when Corrine had discovered the truth...

Corrine shook those thoughts from her head and smiled at Darkwing's curious expression.

"Because, as far as I can tell," Corrine continued, "It seems to me that she's your strength. Without her love, where would you be?"

Darkwing gave a sad little smile and said, "I'd still be right here. I'd live in the Tower, sleep during the day, and be completely and utterly alone."

Corrine's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't expected the hero to share something so personal with her.

"Sometimes," she replied before she could think better of it, "It's better to be alone. That way, you can't get hurt."

Darkwing's expression turned serious, and he got up from his reading table to approach her.

"That's not true," he said, quietly. "You can still be plenty hurt. It's just that no one would be around to care."

Corrine fidgeted awkwardly under his gaze and went back to reading her book. She could sense Darkwing still standing near her, looking at her, holding back from saying something else. She willed him away, and breathed a sigh of relief when he finally went back to his own reading.

The ex-pilot, waitress and now part-time crimefighter lost all track of time, and as the moon rose higher in the sky, she fell asleep on an open book.

She awakened disoriented, with her heart beating wildly.

She had somehow wound up in a small bed inside the Tower, up on a platform next to the tall windows of the Audubon Bay Bridge. She was still dressed, but someone had taken her shoes off.

That, however, was not the problem. The noise that had woken her came again. It was a scratching sound coming from outside the windows of the Tower. It was very suspicious and ominous, considering how high up the windows were. Corrine slowly got up and found her shoes lying neatly on the floor beside the bed.

Slipping them on, she made her way to the window where the sound seemed to be coming from.

"Maybe it's just some pigeons," she said to herself, without really believing it.

"PEEK-A-BOO!"

Corrine fell back, startled. Climbing over the wall and into the Tower was a crazy-looking duck wearing a clown costume. He had a large beak and a floppy jester hat, and was grinning wildly.

"Oh, hello!" He said, reaching out a hand as if to help Corrine to her feet. She stared at his hand but made no move to touch it.

The duck withdrew his hand and said, "You must be a new flunky, I don't think I've ever seen you before! You look like you're more fun than that Darkwing Dork and his other hired help!"

Corrine gaped wordlessly at the lunatic as he somersaulted over to some computer equipment and began pushing buttons.

Finally getting her wits together and cursing the fact that she had no idea how to contact Darkwing, Corrine approached the duck and stomped her foot childishly.

"You get away from there!" She screamed.

The strange duck turned around and seemed to consider her for a moment. Then he removed a puppet shaped like a banana from his pocket and shook it at her, pretending to speak for it.

"You get away from there, Cher!"

Corrine opened her mouth to yell at him some more, but he suddenly somersaulted over and kicked her legs out from underneath her.

She hadn't quite realized her close proximity to one of the large windows until it was too late. Before she even realized what had happened, she found herself plummeting down to the asphalt of the Audubon Bay Bridge.

* * *

Honker was coughing and hacking loudly, nearly making himself throw up in the process.

"Mister!" Gosalyn cried, patting her friend on the back. "Come here, quick! My friend is really sick!"

Rodimus Crackshell eyed the children, warily. He stood slowly and walked over to where they sat on the floor of his office.

Fenton had never returned with the diamond, as Rodimus had suspected might happen. So he had sent another of his hired goons to raid Darkwing Duck's hideout for information. In the meantime, watching the two children had become tiresome.

"Sick, is he?" Rodimus said, an obvious hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Yeah, he has really bad asthma and needs his inhaler! You have to do something or he'll die!"

Rodimus sighed and held his small pistol to Honker's head. "Since I don't have any medicine on hand, I guess I'll just have to put him out of his misery right now. I don't need him, after all, as long as I have you."

Honker stopped coughing and looked up with eyes full of fear. Gosalyn's beak dropped open in horror. Apparently, she had misjudged their captor.

No matter. The entire point had been to get him close enough.

"You stay away from him!" Gosalyn screamed and kicked the older duck square between his legs with all her might.

Rodimus doubled over in pain and fell to his knees, dropping his weapon.

"Come on, Honk!" Gosalyn cried as she hauled her friend to his feet and they made a beeline for the door.

Flinging the door open, Gosalyn and Honker attacked the stairway as fast as their legs could carry them.

What they didn't expect was for the stairs to disappear beneath their feet, becoming a stone slide that carried them back to the underground office.

They landed squarely at the feet of a very angry Rodimus Crackshell, who was still half bent over and breathing heavily.

"Nice try, duckies," he said with some effort.

He raised his derringer again, but this time turned it around and hit both children upside their heads with the butt of the gun.

They fell, unconscious, and Rodimus was finally able to straighten himself up to his normal height.

"I didn't realize you had so much spirit," he said, addressing Gosalyn. He leaned down and began to lift her into his arms. "I guess it's time for us to take a little trip. I'll get the diamond soon enough, so let's go start preparing, shall we?"

With that, he took the girl and left the monstrous mansion and Featherhaven behind.

* * *

Corrine opened her eyes and saw Launchpad looking worriedly down at her.

"Ugh, what bus just hit me?" Corrine moaned, putting a hand to her pounding head.

"You fell quite a ways before DW was able to get you in the Ratcatcher. It was amazing, he was driving so fast down the bridge trying to catch you...but you probably got knocked around a bit on the way down."

Corrine's eyes widened as the memory came back to her. She sat up quickly, but then flopped back down in pain.

"Ow," she moaned some more, "Damn it...did you guys see that weirdo who broke in here?"

"Yeah, that was Quackerjack. That's how DW knew to come up here, Quackerjack set off all kinds of alarms back at the house. He got away, though."

"Oh," Corrine said, closing her eyes. No doubt the villain had gotten away because Darkwing had been too worried about rescuing her.

"Don't worry about it," Darkwing said, approaching the bed. It was as if he'd read her mind.

"Thanks for saving me again. Man, I really owe you one. More than one, actually. Can I start a tab?"

She had expected Darkwing to laugh at her little joke, but instead he frowned down at her.

"Hey Launchpad, can you leave us alone for a minute?" Darkwing asked of his sidekick. Launchpad looked a bit concerned, but nodded and left the loft where Corrine was back in the bed she had woken up in hours earlier.

Darkwing sat at the foot of the bed, and Corrine eyed him, warily.

"Just say it," she ordered him.

"I don't want you involved anymore. Period. I've been trying to tell you from the beginning that you'll just get yourself killed, but for some reason I keep allowing this to continue. I guess because I've been selfish."

Corrine sat up, ignoring the spinning in her head. She gave the hero a confused look and decided to take a different approach.

"Look, Drake," she said, trying to be very stern, "I understand I've been a lot of trouble for you and I'm sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. But if I don't see this through, I feel like things won't turn out the way they're supposed to. You heard Morgana, this is all _real._ Mystical spells and paranormal hoopla aside, I _have _to be involved in this! I was there when it all started, and I have to be there when it ends!"

She threw off the covers and moved to sit next to the crimefighter. Taking one of his hands in hers, she pleaded with him.

"Please, have faith in me. No one ever really has before...I mean, aside from my mom. She was the one who said I should interview for the McDuck job to begin with. Funny, huh?"

They sat in silence for a moment and then Corrine asked, "What do you mean you've been selfish?"

Darkwing looked down at his lap, collecting his thoughts. Finally he said, "Earlier when we were talking about being alone...it made me realize how lonely I've been lately. Sure, I have Launchpad and Gosalyn...but it's not the same. Aside from them, it's just my work. I always thought I'd have Morgana to fall back on, but that was unfair of me. We dated for years and rarely ever kissed. I'd always say the wrong things, and we could never quite fit in with each other's lives. After that ended, I figured I didn't really need anyone else. But I was wrong. I'd been ignoring it, but then you took me by surprise. After that incident with Megavolt, I guess I saw the same spirit in you that made me take notice of Gosalyn all those years ago. I thought to myself, 'here's someone who could possibly fit into my life.' It's been, what, three days since we met? But I feel like you're one of my closest friends."

He stopped talking and looked completely away from Corrine, as if embarrassed.

Corrine's heart was pounding in her throat, and she squeezed his hand.

"I don't know what to say," she finally admitted.

Then she reached over and placed her hand under his beak, making him turn and look at her.

"You're a very confusing man, Drake Mallard," she said with a smile. "But I like that. It's like having a puzzle to solve. So if you let me stay around for a little while longer, maybe we can have more talks like this."

"That's the problem," he said, taking both her hands in his. "It's too much too fast. And you are seriously the most reckless and clumsy duck I've ever met. We should stop while we're ahead. Go home, Corrine. You're just in the way here."

Corrine's beak dropped open in shock.

She jerked her hands away from Darkwing and jumped angrily off the bed.

Darkwing watched as she wordlessly began collecting her things, then followed her as she left the loft and headed to the lower portion of the Tower.

The masked mallard felt that he should really say something, so he began, "Corrine, please don't be mad. This is really for your own good..."

He was interrupted by the young woman whirling on him, rage dancing in her eyes.

"You vain, pig-headed, loud-mouthed, snooty, ego-maniacal, waffle-brained...I WISH I KNEW MORE ADJECTIVES!" Corrine found herself so flabbergasted that she couldn't even insult the infuriating mallard properly.

Darkwing was shocked into silence for a moment, then practically snarled at her as he marched up to her, pushing her back up against the cold wall of the Tower.

"You're one to talk! If it wasn't for me, you'd be a duck-shaped smear on the street right now! What is with you and falling from high places, anyway?!"

Corrine's eyes narrowed as she reached out and grabbed Darkwing by the lapels of his jacket.

"If it wasn't for you, I would no doubt be safely on the ground right now with no worries in my mind about which super villain might try to kill me next!"

"Oh, yeah?!" Darkwing screamed, ever so maturely.

"YEAH!" Corrine screeched back.

And then there was no space left between them as they found themselves in each other's arms.

They kissed with a passion fueled by a million different emotions, none of which were necessarily the right ones.

But it never really mattered anyway.

* * *

Fenton Crackshell opened his eyes sluggishly from his guest room at 537 Avian Way. Normally, by this time, he would have heard Gosalyn romping through the house. But, of course, there would be none of that on this morning.

He oozed out of bed and made his way to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He could smell a pot brewing and assumed Launchpad must have put it on.

As he sat at the kitchen table trying desperately to feel less depressed, he heard someone coming down the stairs.

Assuming it was Drake, Fenton prepared the monster speech he had been going over in his head about responsibility and how sometimes you have to leap before you look...but instead of the white-feathered head of his sometimes-friend and crimefighting partner, he was surprised to see the tousled black hair of Corrine poke through the door.

"Oh, hi Fenton," she said, making her way to the coffee pot.

"...Hi," he said, giving her a confused look. "Where have you been all night?"

"Oh, uh..."

Fenton couldn't help but notice the faint blush on her cheeks, especially since he'd never seen her blush before. She had been upstairs, it was early in the morning, and the only guest room was on the first floor...

He began putting two and two together and didn't like how it was adding up.

"Wait," Fenton said, holding up a hand. "I changed my mind, I don't want to know."

"Good morning!" Drake came crashing through the kitchen door with too much exuberance given the hour.

Fenton opened his mouth to start his speech (while simultaneously trying to bleach his brain in regards to Corrine's guilty expression) when the phone rang.

"Dark," came Morgana's voice over the line when Drake answered. "I've found out a detail about the spell we didn't know before. We may not have as much time as we thought. Please, come meet me at McCawber Manor as soon as possible!"

Drake hung up the phone, and the look on his face left no doubt that he had not received good news.

"Everyone who's going to stop a lunatic bent on mystical world domination, suit up and meet me at Darkwing Tower in 10 minutes."

And with that, his jovial mood from earlier was completely shattered and he left the kitchen without another word.

* * *

"Above the surf, at the stroke of twelve, the young Queen breathed her last. She smiled a smile of blood and malice and whispered, 'I'll be back.'"

Morgana finished reading the passage in a large book she had acquired and then slowly closed the heavy and ancient volume.

"What does that mean?" Launchpad voiced what they were all thinking.

"It means the spell has to be set up in a certain way to work correctly. The ceremony has to take place 'above the surf', which I suppose is up to you four to figure out. And the sacrifice must be made at the stroke of twelve. Whether this means twelve noon or midnight, I also can't be sure. But one thing is clear...he has to move her. The ceremony won't be taking place at the mansion you told me about, because it doesn't meet the criteria."

"Do you think they've already left?" Corrine asked Darkwing, panic straining her voice. They had all thought they could just storm the mansion in Featherhaven when the time was right, but now...

"He wouldn't wait around there when we know how to get to him. I can't believe I've been so STUPID! He must have already moved her, and plans to have Quackerjack or any number of hired flunkies bring him the diamond as soon as possible. But now we have no idea where he is, so he's sitting pretty."

Newly enraged, Darkwing walked over to a nearby wall and put his fist through it.

"We have to figure out the meaning behind the spell as soon as possible," Gizmoduck said, quietly. Corrine nodded at him in agreement.

A high pitched shrieking sound suddenly emanated from somewhere inside Darkwing's jacket, and he pulled out a device that was blinking and making the sound.

"It's the alarm at Darkwing Tower. Someone's inside again."

Launchpad, Gizmoduck and Corrine all exchanged worried looks but soon followed Darkwing as he raced out of Morgana's house.

Throwing a look over her shoulder, Corrine was the only one who thought to call back, "Thanks, Morgana!"

The sorceress wrung her hands, worriedly.

"Oh, Gosalyn," she whispered to herself. "I hope you're all right."

* * *

Back at Darkwing Tower, none of them had ever been more happy to see Honker Muddlefoot.

"Honk-man, you're okay!" Launchpad cried happily as he lifted the duckling and twirled him around.

Darkwing walked over and ruffled the feathers on Honker's head. "Glad you're back, kid. Your parents were getting worried, and we were running out of cover stories."

"Thanks, Mr. Mallard" ,Honker said without thinking. He was usually so careful about keeping Darkwing's identity secret, but he was just so tired...

Darkwing didn't correct him and simply smiled, but Launchpad noticed the slip-up, and also noticed that Gizmoduck made absolutely no comment.

Something was going on, but Launchpad knew now was not the time to ask about it.

Honker told them the entire story, including Gosalyn's escape plan.

"...But then I was actually awake when he was taking Gosalyn, but I pretended that I was still unconscious. I heard something about the lighthouse at Beaker's Point."

"Above the surf!" the four adults all yelled, simultaneously.

"That's where they are, then. All we have to do is come up with a plan and storm the place!" Gizmoduck said, excitedly.

Darkwing grinned as he nodded in agreement.

Corrine desperately wanted to feel elated, but something gave her a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She hoped it would really be that easy.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	6. The Setting Sun Destroys the Light

_Happy St. Patrick's day! I'm like 25% Irish, so I was finishing and proofreading this while slightly inebriated. Let me know if there are any glaring mistakes!_

_This is a big chapter, and some very big stuff is about to happen. Enjoy, and please leave me a comment if the spirit moves you!_

_

* * *

_

"_She wakes up  
Rage and grace  
Pulling me closer  
Pushing away  
And me, the sharpest thorn on your vine  
Twisting and turning we're all intertwined..."_

-Fix You, The Offspring

* * *

Gosalyn opened her eyes to bright sunlight and the sound of waves hitting the shore.

It soon became clear that she was bound to some kind of wooden platform, but she was able to look around and noticed naked wooden rafters above her and the smell of cedar.

A cool breeze was wafting through the large windows of the room in which she was imprisoned, and it all probably would have been quite lovely if not for the fact she was scared for her life.

The duckling began wiggling around, trying to free herself from the heavy ropes that scratched at her bare arms and legs, but to no avail.

With a sigh, Gosalyn looked up at the ceiling and remarked to the empty room: "I guess it's up to you guys now."

* * *

"All right men...and woman," Darkwing announced as they looked up at the happily illuminated lighthouse in front of them. "The element of surprise is on our side! I'll sneak up first and hide out in the rafters while Giz creates a diversion and Launchpad finds and frees Gosalyn."

"And what do I do?" Corrine asked, anxiously.

Darkwing looked up at her big amber eyes and completely curbed what he was originally going to say, which was something along the lines of how she should stay outside and keep the Ratcatcher warmed up.

Instead, Darkwing sighed and said. "You can go with Launchpad. If Giz or I need help, Launchpad will be our back up. No matter what happens, you keep Gosalyn safe."

"Deal!" Corrine said with a warm smile at the costumed mallard. Then she hefted the backpack she had insisted on bringing higher up onto her shoulder.

"What's in that thing, anyway?" Darkwing asked for the dozenth time.

"Don't worry about it," Corrine answered, not sounding terribly convincing.

Darkwing would have argued with her, if there had been time to do so. Since time was something they no longer had an abundance of, he let it go.

Spinning around to face the lighthouse once more, Darkwing surveyed it for a moment before finally saying the one thing they had all been waiting for.

"Okay, gang!" said the hero of St. Canard with gusto. "Let's get dangerous!"

* * *

Gizmoduck disappeared around the side of the lighthouse in order to set up his diversion, which he had not bothered to share with the rest of the group. Darkwing shot a grappling hook out of his multi-purpose gas gun and entered through a mid-level window. Launchpad and Corrine looked at each other, shrugged, and took the stairs.

"Since the spell has to be done above the surf, he probably has her on the highest level," Corrine whispered to Launchpad as they ascended the daunting lighthouse staircase.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Launchpad panted as they continued to climb.

"Maybe we should split up?" Corrine suggested when they were still several floors from the top and Launchpad looked as if he might pass out. The sun was high in the sky, it had to be close to noon, and the lighthouse was getting hotter the higher they went.

"I don't think I should leave you alone..." Launchpad began to argue, but then he saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

If it was they guy they were after, he could go after him while Corrine freed Gos, and the girls wouldn't have to be involved in any fight...

"Actually, that's a good idea," Launchpad suddenly amended his previous statement. Corrine blinked in confusion, but then smiled.

"Great, I'll keep looking for Gos, and you go catch the bad guy!"

The two ducks nodded at each other and parted ways.

Corrine feared she would run into the elder Crackshell while Darkwing and Gizmoduck were getting into place, but she was pleasantly surprised when she reached the top level of the lighthouse without seeing another soul.

Opening the door to the observation level, she immediately saw who she was looking for.

"Gosalyn!" Corrine cried, running over to the bound girl.

"It's you!" Gosalyn said with relief. "I was afraid that old guy came back!"

"Here, let me get you out of these ropes," Corrine said, removing a switchblade knife from one of the boots she wore. Flipping it open, she began cutting at the thick ropes.

"Hurry," Gosalyn hissed with some urgency.

Just as the last rope snapped, the lone door in the room opened and Rodimus Crackshell entered wearing a smug expression.

"The calvary has arrived, I see."

At a loss, Gosalyn and Corrine began backing up against the far wall, but they could only go so far.

Corrine brandished her knife as threateningly as she could, while placing the backpack she wore gingerly on the ground.

Rodimus laughed and said, "Dear child, what are you going to do with that? Tickle me to death?"

He punctuated his remark by pulling out the foot long ceremonial blade that Corrine was already intimately familiar with.

"A diversion sure would be nice right now," Corrine mumbled under her breath.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

Rodimus approached them slowly, always keeping his knife raised and ready. Corrine placed herself between the madman and Gosalyn. But the problem remained that there was only one way out and Rodimus was blocking it.

Corrine was calculating the odds of tackling Rodimus and keeping him busy long enough for Gosalyn to run away when a little red-haired blur ran out from behind her and tumbled to the floor with Crackshell.

"Gosalyn, no!" Corrine screamed, running over to the wrestling heap and trying to pull the duckling away.

Trying to get Gosalyn away from Rodimus was harder than it seemed, however. The girl was punching and kicking with all her might, screaming things like, "This one's for my dad!" and Rodimus was flailing his knife around trying to get the upper hand.

Soon they were no longer tousling on the ground, but stood near a large window which seemed to have missed the memo of the life-or-death struggle going on as it cheerfully exuded sunlight and the sound of splashing waves and seagulls.

Rodimus Crackshell tried one last desperate attempt to regain the upper hand by pushing the young duck as hard as he could, and the 13-year-old was unceremoniously flung into the frame of the lighthouse window like a sack of potatoes.

Time seemed to stand still, or at least go in slow motion.

Corrine screamed as Gosalyn lost her footing and began tumbling out of the lighthouse window. She ran to catch the girl but was stopped when Fenton's wild-eyed father grabbed her by her long hair.

Her head and neck wrenched backward at an odd angle, and Corrine gasped in pain and put her hands up to her head in an attempt to get the crazy old duck to release his grasp.

"If I can't have the red-haired girl, then perhaps I'll just use you in the reincarnation ritual. You're not as young and you don't look as much like Queen Esperanza, but you'll do."

"Not likely!" Corrine snapped, painfully. Reaching down, she awkwardly grabbed at the switchblade she had dropped when Gosalyn had attacked Rodimus.

The crazy old duck pulled so hard on Corrine's hair that she was practically looking at him completely upside down. She fumbled for her knife and finally felt the cool metal handle in her hand.

Flipping the switchblade open, and using all the strength she could muster, Corrine reached up in one painful swoop and cut her hair from Crackshell's grip.

To say the crazed duck was surprised would be an understatement, and Corrine used that moment of confusion to bolt to the window.

"Gosalyn!" Corrine yelled, seeing the girl clinging desperately to the sill. She wrapped both hands around the young duck's wrists and began trying to pull her up. The strong sea winds whipped Corrine's newly shortened hair painfully against her cheeks.

"I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT! I AM THE POLITICIAN THAT RAISES YOUR TAXES! I AM DARKWING DUCK!"

Darkwing's voice seemed to echo throughout the lighthouse, and Corrine had never been so happy to hear it.

"Corrine, I'm slipping!" Gosalyn cried in a panic. Sure enough, Corrine felt a pull as the girl slowly fell another inch.

"Gos, please hang on!" The thought of Gosalyn falling to the jagged rocks and violent surf below made Corrine's stomach churn and her heart do jumping jacks.

The sounds of a battle began to rage behind Corrine, but she didn't dare look to see who was winning.

Gosalyn slipped a bit more, and Corrine found herself halfway out of the window, still clinging desperately to the teenager.

Right behind the scene at the window, Darkwing faced off with the father of someone he considered an ally. He was torn on which fighting method to use, because he didn't wish to hurt the older duck unless it was absolutely necessary.

Then again, Rodimus Crackshell had kidnapped his daughter and attempted to use her as a sacrifice, and had just nearly broken the neck of the silly woman that...well...no matter what she was to him, she was still someone he didn't want to see get killed. So, understandably, Darkwing kind of wanted to hurt the man. But his conscience simply wouldn't allow it.

As Gosalyn slipped a bit more and Corrine found herself waist-deep out of the window, she found herself silently begging for Gizmoduck to show up and grab the girl. Where the hell had he gone, anyway?

Corrine felt stupid, but she desperately pictured Gizmoduck in her mind and began muttering quietly to herself, "Come on, come on, come on..." as if she could will him there. Otherwise, she and Gosalyn would both go plummeting to their deaths very soon.

As if on queue with her morbid thoughts, Gosalyn slipped from Corrine's grasp and plunged toward the rocky shore beneath them.

A guttural, animal-like scream ripped through the lighthouse, and Corrine was shocked to realize it was coming from her.

* * *

Darwking's fight was not going so well.

Fenton's father had the masked mallard pinned down against one of the wooden ceremonial pallets. It didn't take a rocket scientist to determine that Darkwing was holding back.

Corrine, however, had no such compunctions.

Flinging herself away from the window, fueled by rage, grief and guilt, the young woman lunged at the elder Crackshell, taking them both to the ground with a loud crash.

In the jumble, she hadn't even cared that he still held the ceremonial blade, but it soon became clear as a sharp pain shot through her right arm.

Corrine let out a string of profanities that would have made a sailor blush, but was suddenly distracted when the lighthouse lit up like the 4th of July and the door slammed open so hard it bounced off the wall.

Gizmoduck came rolling into the room, a look of pain and determination on his face.

Momentarily blinded by the light show that his son had obviously rigged, Rodimus pushed Corrine away from him, forcing her to hit the wall hard with her already injured arm. She hissed in pain, but immediately tried to stand.

Then, suddenly, Darkwing was next to her, gently holding her down.

"Wait," he whispered. "Give them a minute. If Rodimus attacks his own son, then we'll help. He's probably seeing spots right now anyway, so maybe Giz can talk some sense into him. Okay?"

"Okay," Corrine whispered back. Then she said, "I have to tell you something, it's about Gosalyn..."

"Not now," he interrupted her. "Whatever it is, it'll just distract me, and I can't afford to be distracted right now. Later on we'll deal with it together."

Corrine nodded painfully, forcing down the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Okay," she said again.

As it happened, Rodimus was still clinging to the blade he had used to injure Corrine, and was now facing off against his armor-clad son.

"Fenton, I'm very disappointed in you. All I've ever wanted is this one little thing, and my own son is getting in my way. You're supposed to obey your father."

Gizmoduck circled around the madman and spat, "You're no father of mine! I don't even know you! It's bad enough that you left me and mother so you could go chasing the ghost of this woman, but the fact that you're willing to _kill _for this insane!"

"And you prancing around in a silly robot costume is sane?" Rodimus countered.

Fenton ground his teeth together and hissed, "If you don't stop this, you'll see just what this silly costume can do."

The madness in Rodimus' expression was almost tangible, and as he lifted the blade high above his head Darkwing slowly rose to stand next to Gizmoduck. His eyes were determined, though they couldn't completely mask the sadness he felt at having to fight his friend's father.

Finally, all hell broke loose.

With a scream, Rodimus attacked. He sprinted toward the two heroes and seemed to be aiming for Gizmoduck, but then at the last possible second he feinted to the right and went for Darkwing. Any fool would have known the blade he held wouldn't damage his son's Gizmosuit, but if he killed Darkwing it would buy him the time he needed to escape.

Darkwing didn't have time to react. He should have expected the move, but Rodimus had seemed so focused on Gizmoduck that the move truly took him by surprise. Rodimus had such a one-track mind filled to the brim with obsession that it hadn't occurred to Darkwing that he could even think rationally.

All Darkwing had time to do was tense his body and turn to the side in preparation to take the knife's blade in a non-fatal part of his body.

But the blow never came.

Darkwing turned back around just in time to catch Corrine's limp body in his arms.

To Darkwing's horror, the supposedly enchanted blade had gone straight through Corrine's back when she had jumped in the way, and was protruding from the exit wound in her chest.

Rodimus released the knife handle and took off for the door, but Gizmoduck blocked his path.

"If she dies," his son said in his deadliest voice, "so will you."

"You don't have the guts," spat Rodimus.

Gizmoduck lifted his left arm and it transformed into a small cannon, which he pressed dangerously up agaist his father's beak.

"Try me," he said.

* * *

"Why would you do that?" Darkwing asked as sternly as he could muster as he fell apart inside. He gently laid Corrine down on her side and she smiled up at him.

"I owed you one," she said and attempted to laugh, but it just came out as a gurgle of blood. Darkwing had not removed the knife because it would have left the wound completely open and free to bleed out, but blood was still pooling at the front of her shirt, and the stain was spreading.

"Don't be stupid," he said, his voice gentle. He brushed stray strands of short black hair off her sweaty face and then let his palm cup her flushed cheek. "If you really want to help me, you'll stay alive until I can get you to a hospital, okay?"

"Okay," Corrine said, though her voice was strained. "I'm really tired, though..." Her words trailed off as her eyes began drifting closed, but she was startled back awake by Darkwing shaking her a bit .

"No, don't close your eyes. You need to stay awake."

"Hey, Drake," Corrine whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Stay with me."

"I plan on it."

The soft sound of a purring motor came closer, but Darkwing didn't look up from the injured woman. He knew Gizmoduck was standing behind him, but the cybernetic hero didn't speak.

Finally, Darkwing softly asked, "What happened to your father?"

"He's temporarily out of commission," came Fenton's strained answer. "I tied him up and the police are on their way. I told them we have an injured person up here."

Darkwing nodded and said, "Fenton, you should stay with her. You were closer to her and I need to go look for Gosalyn..."

"Gosalyn is fine," Fenton interrupted and pushed Darkwing back down when he tried to stand. "I saw her slipping from the window when I got back from setting up my diversion and grabbed her. Then I ran into Launchpad on the way up and told him to take Gos and wait outside until my father was out of the equation."

With a sigh of relief, Darkwing sat back down and continued holding Corrine.

"Besides," Fenton continued, "I believe you just told Corrine you would stay with her. You don't want to be a liar, do you?"

Darkwing opened his mouth to thank Fenton for everything, but was interrupted when Corrine tensed and spasmed in his arms.

Right before their eyes, Corrine's breathing suddenly became more labored. Darkwing clutched her closer to him and felt her warm blood running down his lap. She looked up with sightless eyes and quietly asked, "Fenton, is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, pushing a button and finally removing the Gizmosuit so he could crouch down next to the injured woman.

"Good, I'm glad you're both here. Fenton, I'm so sorry..."

He placed a finger softly against her beak and said as gently as he could, "I don't want to hear that right now. Once you're feeling better, we can talk if you want. I promise."

Corrine tried to smile, but the smile turned into a grimace of pain.

Fenton and Darkwing exchanged worried looks as Corrine continued to stare sightlessly up at the ceiling. They could hear police and paramedics bounding up the lighthouse stairs, the sound of their boots echoing off every square inch of the tower.

Fenton had no desire to leave Corrine's side, but he had to get back into his suit before his secret identity was revealed.

He rose slowly and made his way over to the Gizmosuit. Right before he said the code words that adhered the suit to his body, he heard Corrine whisper something to Darkwing.

Then the Gizmosuit began whirring, and Darkwing screamed, "NO!" just as the police and paramedics burst into the room.

But they were too late. Corrine was gone.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. I Want Your Love, I Want Your Revenge

_**Author's Notes: **I love a little sap and a lot of violence in the evening!_

_

* * *

_

"_I want your horror  
I want your design  
'Cause you're a criminal  
As long as you're mine..."_

_-_Bad Romance, Lady Gaga

* * *

Drake Mallard had lost a lot in his life. His parents had been lost to a violent crime, but their deaths had brought to life Darkwing Duck. Then, for a while, he had lost his entire sense of identity. But Gosalyn had come into his life, and he had learned to love again. Not to mention Launchpad, who was like the brother he'd never had.

When he'd met Morgana, there had been an instant attraction. He had loved her, but still held back because there was a voice in his head telling him he wasn't good enough. That she was going to leave him. Unfortunately, his own misgivings likely caused that very outcome.

He had only known Corrine for a few days, but he felt like he'd lost a second chance for something more in his life. Even worse, he was responsible for her death. Because of him, he would never get to learn more about her past. He would never see her smile again, or find out why that smile didn't always reach her eyes. Because of him, a mother back in Duckburg would never see her daughter again.

He would have to tell her. It was only right.

Darkwing looked over at Gizmoduck, leaning against the lighthouse windowsill and gazing out at the azure sky. The look on his face was hard to discern because of the goggles that covered his eyes, but Darkwing could certainly guess.

Heaving a sigh, Darkwing walked over to the window and laid a hesitant hand upon a robotic shoulder.

"Giz, I..."

"Stop," Gizmoduck ordered, not looking down at the shorter duck. "Just stop whatever you were going to say."

Darkwing removed his hand, slightly abashed.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, but..."

Gizmoduck whirled on him and snapped, "I'm not mad at you! Not everything is about you!"

Darkwing just gaped at him.

Gizmoduck lifted his goggles, revealing the watery red eyes of Fenton Crackshell.

"Don't be sorry, and don't blame yourself," Fenton continued. "She died doing exactly what she wanted to do. She was always like that. A little selfish, in a way."

Darkwing nodded. He could definitely relate.

"Did you still...love her?" Darkwing asked, quietly.

Fenton did not hesitate to answer. "Yes, in a way. She wasn't the same girl who left Duckburg years ago, but she was stronger somehow and I wish I'd gotten to know the new Corrine better. People never really change, you know. We grow and mature, but at the very heart of us I think we stay the same."

Darkwing frowned a bit. "I'm not so sure about that."

Shrugging, Gizmoduck turned back around to stare out the window.

As Darkwing was about to walk away, he heard Gizmoduck quietly ask, "Did _you _love her?"

The masked hero couldn't help but crack a small smile and said, "I barely knew her. But I think, if given the chance..." He let his thought trail off and then amended whatever he was going to say with, "She certainly had a lot of spirit."

He did head for the door then, but stopped suddenly when he spotted the bag Corrine had insisted on lugging around the lighthouse.

The flap was open, and Darkwing approached it without hesitation.

Opening the bag fully and looking inside, Darkwing breathed, "What the _hell?..._"

* * *

Madeline Featherwood had been the St. Canard Medical Examiner for longer than she cared to think about. Every day a different sad story graced the morgue in which she worked, and the day that now stretched out before her was no different than any other.

"Cause of death is...fairly obvious," Madeline said to herself as she gazed down at the young woman laying prone on the examination table before her.

She was young, probably under 30, and her black hair was oddly shaggy and uneven.

The most noticeable feature of the young woman, however, was the very large hole in her chest.

"Hmmm," Madeline hummed, leaning forward to study the wound more closely.

"That's odd..."

The brown-feathered goose touched the wound with gloved fingers and gasped when she pulled her hand back to discover a layer of fresh warm blood.

"This can't be," she mumbled to herself. "This woman has been dead for hours, there's no way..."

And then large amber eyes popped open, filled with rage.

Madeline screamed, but her scream was cut off as the woman who should have been dead reached up and wound impossibly strong fingers around her neck.

The coroner's neck snapped easily, and Corrine let her fall to the ground with a dull thud.

Corrine looked around slowly and purposefully. She hopped down from the examination table and noticed she was nude.

With a blank expression, the previously deceased duck relieved Madeline of her lab coat and quickly wrapped it around herself.

Still barefoot, she made her way out of the morgue and onto the streets of St. Canard.

* * *

"How could this be?!" Darkwing demanded.

"What does it mean?!" Gizmoduck yelled.

"Calm down, both of you, I need to think!" Snapped Morgana, taking the diamond they had brought to her and placing it on a pedestal inlaid with what looked to be runes; though Morgana was surely the only one in the room who could read them.

The once yellow diamond had somehow turned blacker than a piece of coal. The depth of darkness it seemed to exude would have even put the least superstitious duck ill at ease.

Morgana's eyes widened with terror and she spun on the two mallards, her dress whipping around behind her like a flame.

"Did Rodimus use that knife?! The ceremonial blade I told you about?! THINK!" The witch screeched at them. Darkwing had never seen her so afraid.

"Yes, he used it," Gizmoduck answered, relatively calmly. "He killed Corrine with it."

Something akin to guilt flashed across Morgana's face, and she whispered, "So, it's done."

"WHAT is done?" Darkwing asked, exasperated.

"I didn't want to say anything," Morgana said, beginning to pace the room, not looking at the two heroes or the diamond. "It was just a feeling I had..."

Darkwing approached the worried witch and placed both hands on her shoulders. "Morg, what feeling did you have?"

"That girl, Corrine. When I shook her hand, I noticed a strange aura. But I had Queen Esperanza on the brain from all the research I had done, so I assumed it was my imagination..."

Her thought trailed off and she stared into space for a moment before blinking and looking down at the shorter duck she had once loved.

"It was her, all along," Morgana finally said. "Gosalyn may look like Esperanza, but Corrine is her actual descendant. It explains her involvement in this from the very beginning, and the strong feeling she had about following through with the case. It really was fate. No matter what we did, no matter how much we tried to stop it, this would have always been the outcome. There was a red string connecting Corrine to that diamond."

"Red...string?" Darkwing repeated, his confusion obvious.

Morgana nodded and continued. "A red string connects us all to our destinies. Many Asian cultures think it only connects people who are destined to fall in love and marry, but my people know the red string is endless and unyielding. It connects us to _everything_. She was connected to that diamond, and I shouldn't have ignored my first instinct. I'm so sorry, Dark."

Darkwing stepped back, and both he and Gizmoduck stared at Morgana with their beaks hanging open.

"You say he killed her with that blade," Morgana went on. "Where was she stabbed?"

"Through her back, and out her chest," Darkwing said, his voice taking on a panicked tone. He could see where this was going.

"We have to find her!" Gizmoduck exclaimed and bolted from McCawber Manor like someone possessed.

Darkwing was about to take off after his comrade when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned and was surprised by the sadness in Morgana's eyes.

"There's something else you should know," Morgana said softly. "That red string...you are connected to her, too. It may wind and knot thousands of times, but I see an unbreakable bond there that I suspected from the start. I chose to ignore the signs, just as I ignored her tie to the diamond. I should have said something then, but perhaps I was..." Her words suddenly trailed off, and she struggled to finish her thoughts.

"Either way, what I did is unforgivable. I might as well have signed her death warrant by omitting that information."

Darkwing surprised her by smiling and said, "You couldn't have known. Consider yourself forgiven."

Morgana nodded, fighting back tears.

As the masked mallard made his way out of her home, he turned back once more and said, "Out of curiosity, does death affect this red string situation?"

Morgana couldn't help but crack a smile. "No," she said. "Death itself is not a strong enough adversary."

Darkwing nodded. "Thanks, Morg." He grinned and turned away.

"I have a waitress to bring home."

* * *

Rodimus Crackshell was startled awake by commotion outside his jail cell.

He had been placed in a cell all alone, and had been thankful for it until that moment. He suddenly felt very vulnerable as the commotion became clearer and he could make out the screams of men and the crunching of metal and other things he dared not speculate upon.

The two guards positioned outside his cell had run off to provide aid during whatever was happening, and Rodimus yelped as one of them suddenly flew unceremoniously into view and made a sickening crack against the cement wall near Rodimus' cell.

Whatever was there was inhumanly strong, and Rodimus tried desperately to disappear into the darkness of his cell.

Then it came into view. The thing that had thrown a fully grown and overly muscled mallard into a wall so hard that he turned into paste.

That thing was a small female duck, half the guard's size.

She held the second guard up by his throat in one hand, and right before Rodimus' eyes she ripped out the dog's jugular with her other hand.

Blood sprayed all over the white coat the woman wore, and the guard's body slumped to the floor in a puddle of his own fluids.

And then she turned to Crackshell.

Her amber eyes seemed to glow as she studied him. He recognized her, of course. She was one of his son's friends. The one he had killed.

Or at least thought he had killed.

His heart was pounding so hard he was certain the apparition before him must be able to hear it. But he could not speak, could not run, could barely breathe.

"You're the one," spoke the monster that stood before him. He recognized the voice of the spirited woman, but there was a slight difference. It was her voice just under the surface, but now heavily accented and filled with an underlying fury.

"The...one?" Rodimus finally choked out.

"The one who gave me life. The one who freed me."

Rodimus was finally able to break out of his stupor and lurched toward the woman. As he got closer to the door of his cell, he was able to get a better look at her, and noticed that there was a massive amount of dried blood caked in her hair.

"Yes," he rasped. "Yes, that's me. I freed you. I dedicated my life to bringing you back."

Esperanza reached up and snapped the metal bars of his cell off their frame.

Rodimus took a tentative step out, never taking his eyes off the resurrected Queen.

"I owe you a great debt," she said, watching him with unblinking eyes.

Before he even had time to react, she was upon him.

"Take your eternal reward," she hissed.

With that, she ripped his beak clean off his face and smashed his head into the cement floor.

He was dead before he hit the ground.

* * *

Darkwing and Gizmoduck had only to follow the trail of carnage to the St. Canard Prison.

Once there, however, they found they weren't quite sure how to proceed.

"How do you stop a hundred year old resurrected spirit in the body of someone you're trying to save?" Darkwing asked, somewhat rhetorically.

"Look, Wingy," Gizmoduck said, with an unusual note of sympathy in his voice, "I know you want Corrine to come out of this unharmed...I do too...but, technically, she's already dead. I don't think we need to go easy on her."

Darkwing clenched his jaw but said nothing.

Nothing more needed to be said, anyway, because at that moment a vision from a million nightmares walked out of the prison gates.

Before them stood an entity that looked like Corrine, but was soaked in blood. Some was dried to a rust color, but some was still wet and dripping from her feathers and hair. The crimson droplets began to pool at her feet as she stood gazing at them.

She seemed to be clad only in a long white lab coat, which had also taken a beating. It was ripped up one side, exposing her thigh. She had also lost the top three or four buttons, exposing the tops of her breasts. However, Esperanza seemed to take no notice of her appearance. After all, she had been a formless soul for a hundred years. Clothes were probably a foreign concept at that point.

The wind chose that moment to pick up, tossing her dirty black hair around her head like a halo of death. It completed the scene perfectly.

"H-How do we fight this thing?" Gizmoduck now hissed at Darkwing.

"That's what I was asking YOU!" Darkwing snapped.

Unfortunately, neither of them had an answer.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	8. Because You Loved Me

"_You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'cause you believed  
I'm everything I am  
Because you loved me..."_

-Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion

* * *

_Leave them alone._

"Darling, don't worry about a thing."

_LEAVE THEM ALONE!_

As Darkwing and Gizmoduck looked on at the blood-soaked apparition standing before them, they noticed that she almost seemed to be talking to herself.

"What's she doing?" Gizmoduck hissed under his breath.

"How should I know?" Darkwing whispered back.

Queen Esperanza, clad in the skin of their friend, Corrine, had not yet made a move toward them. The two heroes were curious about the reprieve, but weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

_If you touch one single feather on either of them, you'll really wish you were dead, you bitch!_

"You need to shut up now," said the heavily accented voice that sounded somewhat like Corrine's. She seemed to be losing her patience with something, but Darkwing and Gizmoduck could still not tell what was causing her frustration.

_And what can **you** possibly do to stop me? _

"ENOUGH!" Screamed the bloody Queen, and she finally launched an assault on the two heroes.

Jumping apart, Gizmoduck wheeled himself to the left, and Darkwing ran to the right. After the massacre at the prison, the streets were deserted for at least five city blocks. Darkwing was grateful for that, at least.

Diving behind a dumpster for cover, Darkwing began mumbling to himself, "think, think, think..."

Esperanza headed his way, and with one arm lifted the metal dumpster as if it weighed nothing and tossed it out of the way.

His back against a cold brick wall, Darkwing could only stare into the terrifying eyes of the woman that he finally had to admit he loved.

There it was, he had fallen fast and hard for the clumsy, spirited waitress from Duckburg...and now he would be responsible for her death; not once but twice.

It was a damn shame he couldn't have figured it out sooner.

The real Corrine's final whispered words suddenly sprang unbidden to his mind.

"I could have loved you..."

Drake had passed it off as the ramblings of a dying woman. Her mouth had continued moving after that statement, but she had no more voice. Seconds later, she breathed her last. At the time, he assumed she meant that she could have possibly fallen for him if only she'd had the chance to live longer.

But now, as he finally accepted his own feelings, he realized that she meant she could have loved him _more _if she'd had the chance to live.

He had no idea what he was doing. No idea how to fight an angry, undead killer who seemed to have no weaknesses.

But he knew he had to try. For her.

"Wingy!" Came Gizmoduck's cry, and Darkwing could see his mechanical friend in his p_eripheral_ vision.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Darkwing held up a hand to stop his friend's advances.

"Wait, Giz," he said quietly.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Came a voice that sounded a lot more like Fenton than Gizmoduck.

"Giz, what do you see?" Darkwing asked, never taking his eyes from Corrine's amber ones.

"I see you about to get your head snapped off your neck by a girl half your size!"

"No," Darkwing said, his voice just above a whisper. "She hasn't made a move to finish me off yet."

Gizmoduck finally stopped and assessed the situation. Darkwing was right. First of all, Fenton had purposefully made himself an easier target because he was convinced his Gizmosuit would provide him with added protection while Darkwing came up with a plan. But rather than going for him, Esperanza had gone for Darkwing. And now she was just...staring at the masked crimefighter with a blank expression.

It was an odd turn of events, to say the least.

What neither he nor Darkwing realized, however, was that a heated battle was taking place inside the apparition's own mind.

* * *

_I warned you. All this time I've been getting stronger, and now you'll be sorry you ever came back._

**Don't be stupid, girl. I have done nothing wrong here. Everything has been deserved. **

_Is that so? And what, exactly, had the woman at the morgue done to you besides see you naked? Oh, wait, that was ME who was dead and naked._

**She was a waste of flesh and feathers. A lowly commoner. She dared lay a hand upon me.**

_You're not a Queen anymore. You're dead. And she didn't lay a hand upon you, because you don't exist. This is my body, and I'm taking it back._

**Insolent wench. My power is beyond anything you can understand or control. I have survived for over a hundred years on sheer strength of will.**

_You're pathetic. You didn't survive because of exceptional willpower, you survived on hatred. The strength of your hatred fuels you even now, but it won't last forever. Time heals all wounds, even yours._

**SILENCE! Your foolish tricks and wordplay are meaningless. I died hating because all my life I had received nothing but lies and false smiles due to my birthright. People only pretended to love me because I would be Queen, but I knew nothing of real love. That is why I was not at all surprised when the man I was betrothed to poisoned my wine. I writhed in pain at his feet as he laughed, and I cursed him down to my very core. That is why I am here, and why I will have my revenge!**

_In that case, I do have power over you. Because I know love. People have enough room in their hearts to love many times, and each time they take something wonderful with them. Even when things go sour, there is still joy to be found in happy memories. As long as those I love are still living, I will never give up. And that, your highness, is why you are going to lose._

_

* * *

_

Darkwing placed a gentle hand against Corrine's cheek and softly whispered, "Hey, I know you're in there somewhere. It's me, Drake. Fenton is out here too, and we'd really like to talk to you again. You remember, we're your friends and we care about you a lot. Launchpad wants you to come back, too, and all your friends and family in Duckburg."

Pausing for a moment and taking a deep, steadying breath, Darkwing plunged on.

"I actually really need to tell you something. I especially want you to come back because...no, wait, I _need _you to come back...because I love you."

And then he did the unthinkable as Gizmoduck watched in stunned silence. Darkwing Duck, hero of St. Canard, leaned forward and kissed the bloody beak of the body that had once been Corrine's.

Big amber eyes slowly closed, and Esperanza collapsed.

Gizmoduck was there to catch her, and used his enhanced strength to hold her as she suddenly began to convulse and scream in his arms.

"Sleep," came a female voice out of no where.

Morgana McCawber stood over Gizmoduck's crouched form, holding a hand out over Corrine's body, which had finally gone limp.

Darkwing looked up at the witch and asked, "What did you just do?"

"Only sleep sand," Morgana said with a wry grin. "I couldn't help but keep some on hand. Just in case."

"What was with all that screaming and thrashing just now?" Gizmoduck demanded, with an almost accusatory glance at Darkwing.

Darkwing had stooped down and taken Corrine into his own arms, then stood with her in tow.

"I just did what I think I was supposed to do. I suddenly realized she hadn't attacked me because, deep down, Corrine was still in there. The Queen Esperanza personality or soul or whatever you wanna call it hadn't completely taken over. When faced with the possibility of hurting someone she really cares about, Corrine stopped her. I have no idea if I managed to stop the thing completely, but at least I bought us some time."

"Thanks for the save, Morg," Darkwing said, throwing a smile over his shoulder at the mystical duck.

She blushed a bit and nodded. "If you'd like to bring her to McCawber Manor, I believe I've found an exorcism spell that may work."

Gizmoduck jumped up and exclaimed, "That's great! But...Morgana, I'm just curious...why are you doing all this for us?"

The beautiful witch smiled and said, "Because it's the right thing to do."

* * *

Corrine was strapped rather tightly onto a platform as Morgana placed runes around her. Above Corrine's head, sitting on a table inlaid with a pentacle and triangle of evocation, was the blackened diamond that Queen Esperanza's soul had been housed in for so long.

Morgana hefted a rather large book above her head and began chanting in Latin as Darkwing and Gizmoduck looked on, nervously.

Lightning flashed and thunder struck, nearly causing Fenton to jump out of his feathers. He had never been very good with scary places.

Darkwing, on the other hand, watched the ceremony intently while wringing his hands.

As Morgana chanted the last unrecognizable word, Corrine let out a blood curdling scream. She began to seize on the table, but was firmly held in place. As she screamed and thrashed, Darkwing noticed that the black diamond seemed to be glowing. The black seemed to be draining from it, and in its place was a bright yellow.

"It's working," the masked mallard whispered to himself.

Soon, the diamond once again held an ethereal yellow glow, and Corrine's screams quieted.

Amber eyes opened and gazed wearily around the room.

"Where am I?"

"Corrine!" Darkwing and Gizmoduck yelled simultaneously and ran to her side. Darkwing immediately began unstrapping her, but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.

"Wait, Dark. We should make sure."

"Oh, right," he said, stepping away.

"Corrine, who am I?" Gizmoduck asked first.

"Gizmoduck. Not that you'd ever let anyone forget it."

The cybernetic hero couldn't help but smile at that. It was certainly a very Corrine-like thing to say.

"But...who am I _really?"_ was his next question.

Corrine glanced over at Morgana and then back to Gizmoduck, but he nodded and said, "It's okay."

"You're Fenton Crackshell," Corrine answered, feeling a bit strange to be saying it out loud.

"And who am I?" Came a soft voice to her side. Looking up a bit, Corrine saw a rather sheepish-looking Darkwing.

"You're..." Corrine began to say, but then stopped.

She was suddenly overcome with a memory so overpowering that it almost took the air from her lungs.

"You saved me," she said, quietly. "Back on the street, you said..."

She paused again, as if trying to find the right words.

"The whole time it was happening, I could see everything, but I couldn't stop her. The longer she went on her rampage, though, the stronger I got. I really think I could have overpowered her eventually. She was so angry. So...sad."

And then tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, and began to soak the feathers on her face.

"She was lonely. More lonely than anything I've ever felt in my entire life. She hated that no one had ever really loved her, and she was jealous of all the commoners who looked so happy. Even though they were poor, they had love. She hated everyone and everything. For someone so young to be filled with such rage..."

As she spoke, Darkwing did unfasten the straps that held her down. He helped Corrine sit up, and then sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Corrine leaned heavily into his chest and smiled up at him. "But you saved me. We won, all because you loved me."

Darkwing couldn't help the blush that colored his cheeks, and Corrine grinned at him.

"By the way," she said, leaning in and not caring who else was in the room, "In case it wasn't perfectly clear, the feeling is mutual."

And then she returned his kiss from earlier.

* * *

After Corrine had been filled in on all the events she had indeed missed, and profusely thanked Morgana for all her help, the trio left McCawber Manor with one happy and healthy undead girl, and one giant yellow diamond in tow.

"What are we going to do with this thing?" Gizmoduck asked, nervously. "We should probably figure out a way to destroy it, huh?"

"I don't know if it can be destroyed," Corrine said, though she couldn't quite place how she knew that. "It has an awfully powerful spirit fueling it, after all."

Darkwing nodded. "Agreed. I think if it could be destroyed, Morgana would have figured out a way. So I'm taking it someplace it'll never see the light of day again."

* * *

Somewhere in the bowels of S.H.U.S.H. Headquarters, a huge yellow diamond was placed in a wooden box with a metal lock and a dozen chains and warnings plastered all over. A bear in a gray suit wordlessly placed the box on a shelf next to a chained jack-in-the-box, a potato, various electro-ray guns and other weaponry, and parts of what looked to be a big birthday cake.

The shelf was conveniently labeled THE DARKWING FILES.

**TO BE CONCLUDED...**


	9. You've Left Me Speechless

**Hi everyone! We've reached the end of this epic little story arc! Please read the author's notes at the very end!**

**

* * *

**

"_Some men may follow me  
But you choose "death and company"  
Why you so speechless?_

_Oh, oh..."_

-Speechless, Lady Gaga

* * *

_**FOUR MONTHS LATER...**_

"Launchpad!" Corrine huffed as she watched the pilot fumble with her favorite desk lamp. "Please don't break that, my brother gave it to me!"

"No problemo!" Launchpad righted the item and smiled at his friend, continuing on into the house with it.

Corrine stepped back and looked up at the unassuming home. She couldn't help the small smile that flitted across her face.

Home. She hadn't had a real home since leaving her mom's place in Duckburg. She'd gotten an apartment after she scored the job with McDuck, and then there was her apartment in St. Canard...but nothing had ever truly felt like home.

But they say home is where your heart is, and her heart was undoubtedly on Avian Way.

Crossing her arms, Corrine took a deep breath of fresh air and looked up at the sky.

She could hardly believe she was standing there, after everything she'd been through. A snap decision years ago had led her to the brink of death, but it was all over and the nightmares were finally beginning to ebb.

For the past four months, Drake had been there to help her heal. If she cried out during the night, he consoled her. If she became angry for reasons she didn't understand, he was patient with her. She ran herself ragged helping Gosalyn with her homework and going to all her sporting events. And sometimes she made her way to the Tower and helped Darkwing Duck chase away the ghosts that haunted him, while washing a wound or placing a bandage.

They talked for hours, sometimes watching the sun rise from the Audubon Bay Bridge. They spoke of their pasts, of their hopes and dreams. Corrine spoke of her family, and told funny stories about her brother. Drake spoke little of his family, but spoke animatedly about the future. He had a vision, and that vision was for Darkwing Duck to rid the entire city of crime – and eventually he would be known and feared by criminals all over the world.

It was thanks to him that Corrine rarely felt afraid anymore.

Drake Mallard wandered up to her and put an arm around her waist as they watched another mover stumble past them with some of Corrine's belongings.

"So, what do you think? Are we going to kill each other?" Drake asked with a grin.

Corrine nodded and deadpanned, "Bloodshed is likely."

The unassuming mallard gave a short chuckle and said, "I had better get upstairs to give the movers some direction. It's so hard to find good help these days!"

With that, he made a beeline inside the house and Corrine allowed herself a laugh at the thought of Drake barking orders at some underpaid guys who probably didn't even speak much English.

"Hey, Corrine?" Gosalyn ran up to her, decked out in her hockey gear.

The older duck looked down at the girl and said, "What's up, Gos?"

"Are you coming to my game later? Dad and Launchpad both have to _work _so I was hoping..." she trailed off, looking up at Corrine with hopeful green eyes.

"Of course I'll be there! I've put too many hours into your practices to miss it!" Corrine winked at the teenager.

Gosalyn smiled and awkwardly gave Corrine a quick hug around the waist.

"Thanks," the red-head said, though it was muffled by Corrine's shirt.

As Gosalyn started to run off again, she turned back and yelled over her shoulder, "I hope you'll be happy here!"

"Me too."

Corrine spun, surprised at the voice behind her.

"Fenton! What are you doing here?" Corrine exclaimed at the sheepish-looking duck.

The accountant fidgeted a bit and then put down the brown suitcase he carried.

"I'm in town on some hero business. You know how it goes."

"I'm glad you're here," Corrine said, quietly. She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Fenton.

"After everything that happened, I never got to say a proper goodbye. I wanted to talk to you."

Fenton gently pushed her away and shook his head. "Let's just leave the past behind us. All I ever really wanted was for you to be happy. And to survive, obviously. But you're so clumsy that sometimes I thought I might be asking too much..."

Corrine playfully batted at the accountant and laughed. "Fine, have it your way! Will you be staying here while you're in town?"

Fenton looked down at his feet and suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "No, not this time. I mean, what with you moving in and all, and the fact I can't really have Drakerooni sniffing around this particular mission..."

Corrine nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. No matter what else he had been to her, Fenton was a good friend and she missed him.

"Besides," Fenton continued, with a hint of color touching his cheeks. "I have an invite to stay on the other side of town...with a mutual friend."

Corrine's expression turned thoughtful. "A mutual friend on the other side of town? Who in the world...?"

Then a thought struck her and she couldn't help the sly grin that crossed her face.

"Fenton Crackshell, are you staying with Morgana McCawber!?"

Fenton shuffled his feet and pretended to cough.

And just like that, hope flooded Corrine's heart. She let go of all the guilt and remorse she had felt for years in regards to Fenton.

He was going to be just fine.

* * *

_**TWO MONTHS LATER...**_

The Thunderquack landed squarely on a patch of the expansive lawn surrounding Scrooge McDuck's mansion.

Climbing out of the high-tech plane, Darkwing Duck eyed the property, warily.

"Not much security for the richest duck in the world," he remarked, suspiciously.

Launchpad popped out after him. "That's because he has Gizmoduck as a bodyguard!" the pilot exclaimed.

Corrine practically tumbled out after Launchpad and said, "Darkwing does have a point. Even Gizmoduck can't be everywhere."

Lastly, Quiverwing Quack propelled herself excitedly out of the plane.

"Keen gear!" she yelled. "Look at the size of this place!"

Darkwing turned and smiled at his fourteen-year-old daughter. With the passing of her last birthday came a promise he had made to her when they had first become a family five years prior. He had promised that when she was fourteen, he would start training her more seriously in her role of Quiverwing Quack.

Corrine knew she had her work cut out for her, since she often had to play mediator between to the two willful heroes. But, honestly, she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Scrooge McDuck ran up to them, waving a cane wildly. Darkwing noted that he as pretty spry for an old guy.

He was flanked on all sides by three boys and one girl all around Gosalyn's age. Corrine smiled at how Scrooge's nephews had grown, and gasped when she saw Webby.

Webigail Vanderquack had certainly blossomed in the years since Corrine had left Duckburg. She was shapely for her age, more so than Gosalyn, and had long blonde hair tied back in a low ponytail with a pink bow.

"Corrine, darlin', is that you!?" Scrooge exclaimed when he saw the young woman, and he adjusted his spectacles.

"Hi, Mr. McDuck," Corrine said, almost shyly.

"You cut your hair!" Webby squeaked. Of course that would be the first thing she noticed!

Corrine couldn't help but touch her short hair self-consciously. She had had it fixed into a proper short bob after her ordeal with the diamond, and was in the process of growing it out again.

"Yeah," Corrine said, chuckling slightly. "But it was for a good cause." She then shot a beaming smile in Gosalyn's direction, and the costumed teenager smiled back.

"But why are you with Darkwing Duck?" Scrooge questioned.

Corrine's beak dropped open in shock. "You mean Gizmoduck or Fenton or Launchpad or ANYONE didn't tell you about me!?"

Scrooge just shook his head.

Corrine crossed her arms and pouted a bit. After all she'd been through, and no one had even bothered to mention her!

Oh, dear. Drake was rubbing off on her.

"It doesn't matter," Corrine finally said at Scrooge's confused gaze. "I just hitched a ride with them so that I could visit."

Scrooge didn't look as if he believed her, but he let it go.

Clearing his throat, Darkwing brought everyone back to the matter at hand. With as much bravado as he could muster, he said, "What seems to be the trouble, Mr. McDuck? It must be something beyond Gizmoduck's expertise for you to call on me and my apprentice, Quiverwing."

Gosalyn groaned quietly and rolled her eyes. Corrine poked her.

"As as matter of fact, I called you here _because_ of Gizmoduck." Scrooge said, causing everyone to pause and stare at him.

"You see," the trillionaire continued, "Gizmoduck has been kidnapped."

"What?!" The St. Canard screw exclaimed, simultaneously.

"He was taken," Scrooge continued. "The villains responsible left nothing but a note that insisted I call no one but Darkwing Duck. The note was signed 'ND.' Does that mean anything to you?"

As Scrooge spoke, Darkwing's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," he said, quietly. "Negaduck."

**END OF BOOK ONE**

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_If you've made it this far, thank you! You see, now that I've introduced Corrine and everything is set up, this is going to be a continuing series. Each story arc is going to be considered a new "book", but it is all part of a whole. I have a lot of ideas that involve building my own specific canon, so if you find it the least bit interesting please stay tuned because there is going to be some big drama, and I'm going to bring in everyone's favorite villains! Obviously, the next book is going to heavily involve Negaduck, as well as the other members of the Fearsome Five. There will also be some juicy developments with Fenton and Morgana! Sorry if that one seemed to come out of left field, but it was always planned. If Morgana's family didn't approve of her dating Darkwing, I wonder what they would think of Fenton/Gizmoduck? Well, stay tuned to find out!_

_If anyone is curious, the name of this story is based on a brief line at the very end of the song "Speechless" by Lady Gaga. It's my favorite song by her, and makes a lot of references to things in New York, where she is from. I've always felt that St. Canard is based off New York, and the words "death and company" immediately bring to mind the dangers of a city. Death lurking around every corner...but you're never truly alone. What's funny is that Death + Company is the name of a cocktail bar in New York, and that is probably what she was actually referring to in the song, haha!_

_That said, sorry I name everything after songs. I always listen to music when I'm writing!  
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_Anyway, that's enough from me! Please review, because I love reviews and they keep me going!_


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